Black Dove
by Dark Amystika
Summary: Based on Fall Out Boy's A Little Less 16 Candles... video There's a new vampire in town, and she's hot for revenge and promises amazing things. But can she really turn Pete human again? Or will she betray him for her sire at the last moment? Pleaz R&R!
1. Watcher in the Dark

**Disclaimer:** To keep this short and sweet I don't own anything you recognize, mmmkay? Special thanks to Yellofur for R/Ring my story beforehand (read her FOB fanfics, they're AWESOME!)

**IMPORTANT! Before you go, "ZOMG, WTF, this isn't a musical, I'm reporting yooouuuu!!!!" think about it. A musical is a storyline interspersed with, or developed by, songs, dances, et. al. That's essentially what a music video is as well. Besides, I'm not making anything from this story, other than entertainment. I get no money, no fame, no nothing from this story. And would reporting me REALLY make you happy? Lighten up people; it's just fiction.**

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**Watcher in the Dark**

Pete leaned his head against the car window, feeling hopeless and small for the first time in a long time. He had no idea what the Baron – the leader of the Dandies – had in store for him and the others, but he knew it couldn't be anything good. Sighing, he looked up at the sky…and saw a human figure standing on one of the rooftops. Lit by the lamplights, Pete could see that it was a girl around his age dressed all in black with well-toned bare arms, long brown hair, and what appeared to be a gun in her hand. Pete tried to get a better look, but she was out of his sight quickly. He didn't recognize her, but he felt that she had something significant to do soon enough.

About twenty minutes later, Pete and his friends had been locked up in one of the smaller, vampire-controlled jails in the city. His manacles hadn't been removed, restricting the use of his hands and legs. Pete couldn't stand this, being chained up like a murderer or a mental patient. Time and time again he tried to break free, but whatever the chains were made of was holding up pretty damn well. The guard started laughing at him, and Pete scowled.

"It's just as well for you," he snapped. "I'd rip your head off if I had my hands free."

"Hah! You may be able to take the lesser bloodsuckers of this city, but you're no match for me," the guard scoffed.

"Care to put that to the test?" growled Pete.

Before the guard could answer, there was a sharp rap at the door. "Who is it?" demanded the guard in annoyance.

"Who do you think, you imbecile?" came the Baron's clipped and currently irritated voice. "Open this door on the instant."

"Oh! I'm so sorry, sir!" stammered the guard, scrambling for the door as he fumbled with his keys. Pete couldn't see him anymore, but after the door opened he heard, in rapid succession, a click, a whoosh, a heavy thud, and a low laugh. The sound of heavy boots thudding on the tiles echoed in the suddenly-silent room. As Dandies did not wear such shoes, Pete realized that this couldn't be the Baron. But then who was it?

He got his answer when the girl from the roof walked into the light. She wore a bulletproof vest, tight black PVC jeans tucked into paratrooper boots with steel toe caps, and sported two silver rose-shaped stud earrings in each ear, as well as a silver hoop in the cartilage of her left ear. Her hair was on the borderline between dark gold and light brown, and her eyes were steel grey. She smiled at Pete's dumbfounded expression.

"Looks like you could use a hand," she commented in a casual Jersey accent, pulling what appeared to be a pen out of her belt.

"I saw you on the roof," Pete said.

"Yes you did," replied the girl, fiddling with the pen. "You're more observant than most. Ah!" She grinned triumphantly as a red laser beam came out of the tip of the pen. She started to cut away the hinges of the cell door while Pete watched.

"How did you change your voice like that?" he asked.

The girl looked up, turned off the laser-pen, pulled out what looked like a small round speaker with buttons, held it to her mouth, and said, "How did you change your voice like that?" in Pete's exact voice. Holding up the speaker, she explained, "It's a high-tech voice changer. If I record someone's voice, I can imitate it well enough to fool even a computer." She resumed cutting the hinges and lifted the door away, walking in toward Pete. Pulling out a professional lock pick she reached out for Pete's hands and started gently working the locks. They clicked open quickly enough, and she repeated the process on his ankle cuffs.

"Thanks a lot," said Pete, standing up and following her out of the cell.

"My pleasure. Now let's get your friends, shall we?" she suggested.

The others had fallen asleep, but the sound of Pete yanking the cell doors off their hinges woke them.

"Holy hell!" yelped Andy, jumping up. _"Warn _a guy before you do that!"

"I'll try to remember that for the _next_ time we're in jail," Pete said, rolling his eyes. "Let's get out of here."

"Who's this?" asked Patrick, indicating the girl as he, Joe, and Andy emerged from their cells.

"Tanith," the girl answered. "Nice to meet you."

"Cool. Did you take out the guard?"

"Uh-huh."

"How?"

"Chloroform in an Epi Pen. Very useful, but it won't last long on a vampire. We need to go."

The group left quickly, stepping over and on the guard to get out into the dark streets. They didn't have much time before sunrise, and Pete was already starting to feel it coming.

"Don't suppose you guys know of anywhere in town a girl can hide for a couple nights?" asked Tanith. "I'm just here to kill someone and go home."

"Kill who?" asked Patrick in surprise.

"Guy named William," Tanith replied. "Know him? Tall, dark, black derby, dresses like someone out of _Guys and Dolls_?"

"You want to kill _him?!"_ yelped Pete in surprise. Then, surprised again, "The Baron's name is _William?!"_

Tanith cocked an eyebrow. "Why, do you want to kill him?"

"Well, yeah!" Pete stared at Tanith with a new respect. This pale slip of a girl aimed to kill the most powerful vampire in the city? She was either very brave, or out of her mind.

"How about you come to our hideout," Andy interjected. "You'll be safe there, and we can…talk about…things. We obviously have an enemy in common; maybe we can help each other."

"I don't want to impose," Tanith said.

"No, it's fine," said Patrick. "And I think it's a good idea."

Tanith shrugged her agreement, and they were off. They reached the warehouse soon enough and were safely locked inside within minutes.

"This is it – home sweet home," said Patrick. "Not much, but it's ours and it's safe."

"Cozy," commented Tanith, looking around appreciatively. "Much nicer than most of the places I've had to hide in these last few weeks. I like it." Indicating one of the faded couches, she asked, "Mind if I sit?"

"Make yourself at home," replied Patrick. "By the way, I'm Patrick. That's Pete, Andy, and Joe." The group exchanged greetings. "I'm going to make some of that blend for you, Pete."

"Thanks," replied Pete wearily, sitting next to Tanith. Joe and Andy took seats as well as Patrick walked toward the kitchen. All of them were trying to study Tanith without her noticing, until she smiled.

"If you want to look, go ahead," she said. "Tell me what you think of me." A little embarrassed, the boys studied her. She was very pretty, but with the cold, hard edge of someone who's suffered too much. Her belt was loaded with numerous gadgets, a few knives, and a 500 S&W magnum. There were two more knives in the straps of her boots. A long sword hung in a black leather scabbard across her back. Her pale arms were dotted with scars, and she wore the most beautiful and unique necklace: a faceted crystal bottle filled with grey dust with a white-gold band like a wedding ring studded with diamonds around the top hanging on a white-gold chain. She gave a small laugh at their scrutiny, and Pete saw something startling.

"You're a vampire!" he exclaimed.

"So are you, but you don't hear me shouting it from the rooftops," Tanith replied casually.

"Is that why you want to kill the Baron?" asked Joe.

Tanith frowned in confusion. "No, why? Is that why you want to?" This last part was aimed at Pete.

"Yeah," said Pete, bewildered. "He forced me into this. I never wanted to be like this."

"Ah, then that makes sense," said Tanith, nodding thoughtfully. "You see, I did."

"You _wanted_ to be a vampire?" asked Joe incredulously.

"Why is everyone always surprised by that?" Tanith asked the air. "Yes, I wanted to be a vampire. Think about it: eternal youth, eternal life, never get sick, supernatural powers…is there a downside that I'm missing? Yeah, I've got some new restrictions, but I was never one for sunlight anyway, and I was never particularly fond of garlic. That's why I came to this particular city in the first place: I either wanted to be turned or killed."

There was silence for a time, before Pete ventured to ask, "So what's your story, then?"

Tanith looked up at him and then down at her hands. "It's kind of a long one."

"We've got time," said Andy encouragingly. Tanith looked up at the group, which included Patrick since he had since returned, and began to speak.


	2. A Long Story

**A Long Story**

"It was maybe five years ago. I had just turned eighteen, and was new to the city. My parents had died recently, and since then I just wandered around wherever I wanted to go. I just wanted to put as much distance as I could between myself and the scene of my parents' murder.

"One night, after I had familiarized myself with the city and its inhabitants – human and vampire – I was jumped. I fought the punks back – they were only human – but one of them stole my necklace, which means more to me than anything now. I tracked them down to a dirty alley in one of the less fashionable districts and demanded they return it. They laughed at me, but their leader was so amused that I had come after them that he said, 'Look, I'll make you a deal. I'll _give_ you your necklace back if you do one thing: _steal the Dandy leader's derby.'_ The others all laughed and crowed at me. I fired a few shots into the air to make them desist. I would have killed them all, but I swore never to lower myself to the level of the demon who had slaughtered my family. So I went in search of the vampire I would come to know as William.

"It's not too hard for a girl traveling alone to find a vampire, it's just a matter of finding the _right_ vampire. Luckily, William wasn't far that night. I heard him following me after a while, and turned to face him with the message that I had a proposition for him. He seemed surprised, then amused. He asked me what my proposition was.

" 'A local gang of thugs have stolen something very important to me,' I said. 'They say that they'll return it, if I manage to appropriate your derby.' William laughed. When he had finished, I continued, 'My proposition is this: if you will give me the loan of your derby for the night, then when I return it I will give you some of my blood as well. Sound fair?' "

"William studied me for a time. 'You realize, of course, that I could easily kill you without thinking twice about it?' he asked me. I answered that I did, I merely hoped that he would have the good grace to hear me out first and consider my offer. Smiling, William gave me his derby, along with a card with the address where I might return it. I tried not to show my surprise, but thanked him and waited for him to walk away first. I know better than to turn my back on a vampire."

"He just let you leave?" asked Pete in surprise. "That doesn't sound like him."

"Maybe he was in a gambling mood," replied Tanith with a shrug. "All that I cared about was that he hadn't killed me before I could get my necklace back. I did then, though the thugs were shocked that I had even _tried_ to get William's hat, let alone succeeded. They wanted me to join them, but I told them no dice. I took my necklace and left them. I walked for a long time after that, just thinking about how damn lucky I'd been. William could have killed me; the thugs in the alley could have killed me. I had escaped death with all that was mine in my possession. Something had to go wrong eventually, right? That's what I thought, at least. Maybe William would kill me when I returned his derby. I was tempted to keep it, but I knew better. I went to return it after about an hour's wanderings. The address on the card led me to a lavish Victorian mansion in the nicest part of town. I turned up the collar on my jacket and went to the door. Probably just to show off, someone opened it before I could even raise my hand to the bell. I wasn't impressed."

"Now _that_ sounds like the Dandies we all know and hate," said Joe, nodding. Andy laughed, and Tanith smiled faintly.

"They always were on the theatrical side," she agreed. "Well, anyway, the door opened without me knocking. 'Ah, so you're William's guest,' the vampire who opened the door said, looking me up and down like a piece of art. His smirk faded when he looked in my eyes. He showed me inside. There were vampires everywhere, all of them dressed like Godfather wannabes. They were playing cards, checkers, chess, feeding on pretty girls hardly older than myself, or just talking. But they all stopped and turned to watch me. I tried not to make eye contact. The vampire who let me in led me to where he said William was waiting for me. As I looked at him, I saw that he wasn't much older than me, if any older at all. He was good-looking too, with dark brown hair, puppy eyes, and a sweet, boyish charm. I almost smiled.

"He stopped eventually outside a set of beautiful double doors and knocked twice. William's voice called for him to come in and he turned to me. 'You're on your own now, sweetheart,' he said with a grin. Then he grabbed my hand and pecked it with his lips, adding, 'By the way…my name is Brendon.' Then he was gone. I was confused, but I tried to pull myself together as I went through the doors. I walked into the biggest and most beautiful library I had ever seen. William was sitting in a red leather armchair, sipping tea of all things. He smiled at me as I looked around.

" 'I knew you would come,' he said. 'Do you like my library?'

" 'I have never seen so many books all together before,' I said softly. 'And the artwork is exquisite. Is that a reproduction of the Laocoön Group?'

" 'Very good,' said William. 'Again you surprise me. How did you know that?'

" 'I took an art history class in school.' I sat across from him when he indicated I should do so. There was a glass table between us, meant for playing checkers or chess. I placed his derby on the table and his smile widened as he took it and placed it on his head.

" 'What is it, exactly, that was so important to you that you were willing to risk your life making a deal with me?' William asked me. I had been wearing my necklace hidden inside my shirt, but I drew it out then to show him. He asked to see it, and I let him.

" 'The ring around the bottle was my mother's,' I told him. 'She had it forged from her parents' wedding bands and her own.'

" 'And what's this grey powder inside the bottle?' he asked.

" 'My parents' ashes,' I answered. 'Actually, just their hearts. The rest are in the family mausoleum.'"

"Oh my god," said Pete softly, looking from Tanith's eyes to her necklace.

"That's…you carry your parents' ashes?" asked Patrick, almost disbelieving.

"It's a way of feeling that they're still with me," Tanith answered. "I know it's a little unorthodox, but it makes me feel better."

"Yeah, we know what you mean," said Andy. "Our folks all skipped town on us before the vampire border patrol was established."

Tanith nodded sympathetically, though she wanted to finish her tale. Noticing this, Andy added, "Please continue."

Tanith smiled faintly again. "Well, I knew William was toying with me. Looking him in the eye was difficult, but I did as I asked, 'Don't I owe you something?'

"William laughed. 'I would have thought you'd be hoping I had forgotten.'

" 'I never go back on a deal,' I said.

" 'There's no hurry. We have all night,' he answered. 'Do you play chess?'

"I was wary, but I told him that I did. He pulled out a beautiful set of glass chess pieces and set up the game. He played black, I played white. As we played he asked me questions about myself: Where was I from? How old was I? How had my parents died? What was I doing in the city, and how did I like it here? Who taught me to play chess? I answered honestly: Central Jersey, just eighteen, they were slaughtered by a vengeance demon, looking for trouble and enjoying it, and my father. I could feel those dark eyes of his on me the whole time, gauging my reactions to his questions. I knew he wanted something from me, and it wasn't just blood. Still, I wasn't too worried. What was the worst he could do to me, if I wanted to die?"

Pete snorted, but didn't interrupt. Tanith continued:

"After a little more than an hour I tipped over his king, declaring, 'Checkmate.' William was surprised, but also impressed. I took that as a good sign, though I still had to keep from shivering when he smiled at me. 'What's your name?' he asked me.

" 'Tanith Venator,' I said, this time gauging _his_ reaction. If he knew my name, he didn't let it show.

" 'My underlings call me "sir",' he said. 'You may call me William.'

" 'Pleasure,' I replied. I was trying hard not to yawn or look like I was falling asleep, but it was past four in the morning and I hadn't eaten or slept in a while.

"William must have noticed this, and stood up. 'It's getting late. It's time we finish our deal,' he said. I stood up and turned my collar down, baring my neck. William pulled me to him and stroked my cheek, almost like he was going to kiss me. In a sense he did, but it wasn't on the mouth. No one who hasn't been bitten can understand the emotional tsunami that I felt then. A vampire's bite is without a doubt the most potent emotional sensation a human can experience, better than any drug but just as addicting." She glanced at Pete, who nodded. She noticed Patrick and Andy with the same understanding look. She wasn't too surprised; it was nigh impossible to live in such a city without being bitten at least once. "He drank slowly, but I lost strength fast. It wasn't long before he was holding me up, keeping me from collapsing to the floor. I was holding onto him, my head on his shoulder. Finally he stopped, and I saw his frightening smile before everything went black.

"I dreamed about sitting on a tree swing on a hill overlooking a beautiful lake while William pushed me, and woke up on a bed in a room I didn't recognize. From the décor, I determined that I was still in the vampires' mansion. My neck throbbed where I had been bitten, and I felt dizzy and lightheaded when I sat up. It passed soon enough, and I saw a note on the nightstand. It was written in an elegant, old-fashioned script, simply saying that I was welcome to explore the house as I pleased, so long as I didn't try to open any locked doors. I could leave, of course, but it was desired that I stay for a time. I don't know what possessed me, but I stayed. I freshened up in a bathroom in my room and changed into clothes I found in the wardrobe – and just my size too, now wasn't that nice? – before going to explore the house. I was very hungry, and though I didn't think vampires would have any need of human sustenance I sought out the kitchen. There was food there, as well as the beautiful young women I had seen the night before. From the scars on their necks, I determined they must live in the mansion to be fed on from time to time. _Pomme de sang_, they called themselves, which literally means 'apple of blood'. They smiled at me and said I was so lucky that William had "kissed" me, as they called it when they were bitten. None of them had had the honor. I didn't know how to answer, so I just asked if I could have something to eat. When I was done I left to explore the library.

"The library had three stories, and I had barely started exploring the second when William arrived. He smiled at me and told me I looked lovely in the skirt and blouse I had chosen. Red, apparently, was his favorite color on a young woman, and he told me I wore it particularly well."

"You wore _red_ in a mansion full of vampires?" asked Pete incredulously. "That's like signing your own death warrant!"

Tanith shrugged nonchalantly. "I told you before, I wanted to die." Pete had to agree that she had told them this. "I thanked him, but still didn't quite trust him. I couldn't deny, though, that he attracted me. He was handsome and charming, and I was so young and naïve. I had never had a boyfriend before, or even any kind of male attention, so the attendance William treated me to was lowering my guard and winning over my better judgment. He got me to say that I had nowhere to stay, so invited me to stay at the mansion for a while. I do not know why, but I agreed.

"In the nights that followed I was treated like a princess. No one was allowed to touch me. The house was mine to explore as I pleased. I found myself feeling happy for the first time in a long time. I had a beautiful house, good food, nice clothes, and fascinating company. And William…ah, William. Whatever was happening between us, I found that I liked it. He was a prince to me, always asking how he could make me more comfortable, or if I had everything I needed or wanted." The band knew all too well how irresistibly attractive Dandies could be. That is, until the spell broke and you realized that their fangs were in your jugular. "I grew comfortable in this environment too quickly, I think, but I didn't think about the dangers. After about two weeks, William set me up with a rather nice apartment not far from the mansion. He told me he'd be watching out for me, and if I ever needed anything I should come to him immediately. I would always be safe in his house. I knew he was planning something from the way he smiled at me, but I didn't care. I trusted him. We walked together often. I was slowly getting off a vampire's schedule, but I always had time to walk with William. Sometimes we'd have tea together in my apartment. He was amazing and fascinating, and I loved to listen to him. We grew closer in those private nights alone together. And then came the night that William sired me."

"Did you ask him to, or something?" Joe asked. "You said you wanted to be a vampire before."

"No, I didn't ask," Tanith said. "Well, not consciously. I admit I had my suspicions about his intentions, but I didn't know when to expect it. It happened one night when I was coming back from the book store. I had music in my head and books in my hands and wasn't thinking about anything else outside of myself at the time. After a while, though, I got that prickly feeling on the back of my neck that you get when you're being watched. I looked around, but there was no one there. I walked faster, but I couldn't shake that feeling. I heard someone laughing and saw a shadow in the alley. I smiled then, thinking it was William trying to scare me. He knew I love being scared, but it's hard to do. I set my books down on the step outside the apartment building and went into the alley, calling William out. I heard laughing again, but no one showed. I checked all the shadows and behind everything…and then I realized that I was trapped against the back wall of the alley if someone came at me. I turned around and suddenly William was just inches in front of me, raising his arms to trap me against the wall.

" 'I can hear your heart racing, Tanith,' he said. 'I know you're frightened.'

" 'You don't scare me,' I laughed, but he had caught me by surprise to say the least. He smiled at me, and I knew he was planning something. Before I could say anything, he had his teeth in my neck. He held me close to him as he drank from me. I was surprised and _almost_ scared, but I experienced that dizzying feeling of euphoria as I had when he had first drunk from me and my fear faded. He drank more this time, and it wasn't long before I had sunk to the ground, unable to stand on my own anymore. William drew back after a while, kneeling behind me and holding me braced against his leg. I looked up at him and saw that he had made a deep cut in his own throat. Smiling he lifted my head, holding my face to the wound, and I drank deeply. I felt his arms around me, but this seemed somehow outside of me. Nothing existed anymore but the blood. That was all that mattered then. I fell back when I felt a terrible pain in my chest and everything went black. When I woke up I was in my room in William's house. And I was a vampire.

"I can't say that I didn't enjoy it at first. William gave me a beautiful coffin of golden-brown wood with a one-way mirror on the lid. He and I were close, very close." She sighed and shook her head. "Ah, the hell with it: I was in love with him. I loved his charm, his wit, even his arrogance and ruthlessness. He was powerfully attractive, and I was so unsure of myself. But as time passed, I began to feel that he was losing interest in me. After the first two years I felt that he saw me as something pretty to look at, like his paintings and artwork in the library. Brendon was my solace then. He and I grew closer as William and I grew apart. Brendon was almost the opposite of William: he was clownish and playful, always making me laugh. He was so sweet and warm, not cold and distant like William. Loving William, I realized, was like loving a statue of ice. But Brendon was real. He was alive. And he loved me. And if William noticed our relationship he showed no interest. Brendon and I didn't even try to hide our feelings for each other. I suppose William had grown bored with me, that I was just a pleasant distraction now and then. And then there came the night that I discovered the awful truth about William."

"He waxes his eyebrows?" guessed Joe. Tanith blinked in surprise, then burst out laughing along with the rest of the boys. Joe grinned cheekily. "What? It's not natural for a _guy_ to have such perfect eyebrows!"

"I don't know anything about that," Tanith said between giggles. Her mirth subsided and her smile faded slowly. "No, what I found was much more personal. One night I found my way into a hidden room in the cellar, and was exploring when I found the setup for an arcane summoning ritual: the ritual to summon a vengeance demon. And the focus of the ritual was a handkerchief and a ring that I recognized as my father's and mother's respectively. William had summoned the monster that slaughtered my parents. William had killed my family."


	3. Revelation

**A/N:** **To emoxdarling**-- **THANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOU**!!! I've gotten nothing but shit from everyone who's reviewed so far, but your review really brightened my day! This chapter is dedicated to you, my first awesome reviewer!

**Revelation**

Tanith's voice broke and she fell silent. The boys stared at her for a moment before Patrick said, "That's…that's horrible. I'm so sorry." Tanith nodded appreciatively but didn't speak for a time.

"I almost lost my mind when I found out," she finally said quietly. "Brendon did everything he could for me, but I was consumed with hurt, sorrow, rage, and the unquenchable lust for vengeance. I wanted to kill William. I wanted to tear his head from his body and carry it with me forever. The man I had loved, the man I had trusted had killed my family. Out of spite, then, I started researching a cure for vampirism. It took over a year, but I finally made it. I experimented on some of the other vampires in the city before I got it right. I caused some nasty mutations in the early stages, but no one really cared. I cured myself, and then Brendon sired me again. Once I had completely severed all ties to William I left the mansion, though I first tore William's favorite suit to shreds and nailed his best fedora to the lid of his coffin with a railroad spike, just missing his heart. For the next two years I trained endlessly, returning to the Syndicate to develop my powers to their fullest."

"Syndicate?" echoed Andy.

Patrick looked at Tanith thoughtfully. "What did you say your last name was?"

"It's Venator," Tanith said with pride.

Patrick snapped his fingers with revelation. "I knew that sounded familiar! I've heard of the Syndicate; you hunt vampires as a profession. You guys go back centuries."

Tanith treated him to an approving smile. "I'm impressed. Yes, I was born into the Syndicate. My mother married into it. My father's ancestors originally started the Syndicate. I've spent my life training to kill vampires, but not indiscriminately."

"So is 'Tanith' your real name?" asked Patrick.

"If you mean is it the one I was born with, then no," replied Tanith. Looking at the others, she said, "In the Syndicate a child can choose his or her own name at the age of thirteen, when childhood ends. I was named Emeline when I was born, but I took my mother's name – Tanith – at my thirteenth birthday celebration." Sadly, she added, "It was after they were murdered. I found their bodies in their bedroom. Their arms and legs had been torn off and thrown about, their abdomens ripped open and their guts pulled out, their heads switched on the other's body. It was disgusting. I went insane, but slowly came back to myself, cured by the insatiable hunger for revenge. I swore that I would find out who was responsible for this atrocity and make them pay a thousand fold."

"This Syndicate let you back in even though you were a vampire?" asked Pete.

"I told you we don't kill indiscriminately," Tanith answered. "There are several vampires in our family, as we call it. The Syndicate takes care of its own, and my parents' death is still being mourned today. When I explained what had happened to me, the Syndicate had to take me back. I had lost too much already, they said. They couldn't turn me away."

There was silence for a time. No one knew what to say. What do you say to a girl who's lost everything? Then, tentatively, Pete ventured to ask, "Tanith, about…about the cure you mentioned…"

"You want it, don't you," said Tanith gently, smiling. Pete nodded. "Certainly I'll share it with you, but I recommend you wait until you've finished with William. You won't defeat him as a human, I'm afraid." Pete had to admit that this was true. He couldn't even beat William as a vampire yet. As a human he'd have no chance at all.

"What's in this cure of yours?" asked Joe.

"Yeah, I haven't been able to figure anything out," said Patrick. "I've tried anti-coagulants, blood thinners, viruses-"

Tanith laughed. "You're thinking too scientifically; you need to think superstitiously. It's actually pretty simple: mix a garlic protein-based receptor compound with holy water, werewolf venom, and the blood of your sire. That last part will be difficult, but the rest is easy enough to get."

"Werewolf venom?" repeated Andy. "How is _that_ easy to get?"

Tanith's smile widened. "A friend owes me a favor. Besides, he'd do it anyway."

"You're friends with a _werewolf?!"_ yelped Joe.

"Among others. The Syndicate works to eliminate the harmful supernatural entities in this world, but we leave most of them alone. People have been poisoned by campfire stories and B-grade horror flicks; the truth is that most creatures in this world, like vampires and werewolves, just want to live in peace. Several of them help the Syndicate to destroy those that are classically 'evil'."

Pete took a deep drink from the blender of mix that Patrick had given him. "So…they'd leave me alone?"

"Actually, you're part of the reason I came out here," replied Tanith. "The Syndicate has heard about you and was impressed with your endeavors. They sent me out here to assist you. Mostly, though, I'm here for William's head. But I'll stay around after that. Someone needs to take William down and replace him. I can do that. I'll bring everything to order like it used to be. And, of course, I'll give you the cure, Pete." Pete smiled. "I warn you, though, it's not going to be pleasant. If you thought that becoming a vampire was painful, you haven't felt anything yet. The worst of it passes quickly enough, though, and then it's just a matter of time."

"I don't care what it takes; I want to be human again," said Pete resolutely. Tanith smiled.

"Is there anything else anyone wants to know?" she asked.

"Can I see your sword?" asked Andy eagerly. Tanith laughed, drew her sword, and offered it to him hilt-first. It was a beauty of a blade, forged of high carbon steel and etched with three long blood grooves. A polished ebony wood grip and solid brass pommel and cross guard in the shape of a bat completed the masterpiece. Andy whistled appreciatively before handing the sword back to Tanith.

"It was my parents' last gift to me," she said. "They were going to give it to me on my thirteenth birthday, but the Syndicate master – who's my great-uncle – had to do the honors instead. I swore that this blade would taste the blood of the one who had murdered my family. And now I'm back to fulfill that promise. I never break a promise."

"Hey," said Pete gently. Tanith looked up at him. "You can stay here as long as you want. And you can always come back." Tanith smiled at him.

"Thanks, Pete." She stretched out slowly, making the boys realize how tired they were. "Do you have a spare closet or somewhere with no windows?"

"Yeah, I have a spare bed," said Pete. He showed her to where he had another metal office closet with a mattress inside like the one he slept in. Thanking him, Tanith climbed in and shut the doors. The boys retired to their beds, exhausted from the night's activities. Patrick, Joe, Andy, and Tanith all fell to dreamless sleep. But for Pete, with sleep came, not rest, but terrible nightmares:

_Pete leaned his head back against the cell wall, weak and worn out. He and his friends had been locked up for a week now, and he had gone the entire time without his blood substitute. He was smelling blood everywhere, seeing it pulsing in the guard's leering face when he laughed at Pete's predicament. Pete knew that he was dying; he could see his body shriveling up, his bones poking through his wrinkled skin. He had to look like a living skeleton at this point. He was afraid that if he saw Patrick, Joe, or Andy that he'd kill them on sight without being able to control it. God, he needed blood._

_The door of the jail opened and closed. Pete didn't – couldn't – even raise his head to see who it was. He didn't really care anyway. What more would they do to him, he wondered. He closed his eyes, hoping that he could sleep through whatever was happening outside. However, that was merely wishful thinking._

_"Ah, Peter…what's happened to you?"_

_Pete's eyes opened quickly enough, despite his weakened state. His sire, the evil William, stood inside his cell, smiling down at him. Pete shut his eyes again and groaned unhappily. William laughed, and Pete felt him move closer._

_"Leave me alone…why won't you leave me alone?" Pete mumbled, opening his eyes again._

_"Poor child," said William, ignoring Pete's words. "You're so weak…so hungry. Just look at what you've become."_

_"Stay away from me!" Pete cried, raising his hands to fend William off, only to be reminded that he was still manacled. He fought against his restraints while William came up to the side of his cot. "Leave me alone!" In response William removed one of his gloves, rolled up his sleeve, and cut his wrist with a small knife. Pete's eyes widened in horror and hunger as he stared at the blood. "Ooh God…"_

_"This is what you want, isn't it, Peter?" William said, offering the blood. "This is what you need. So take it. It's right there for you."_

_"No," moaned Pete, pulling back as much as he could. Unfortunately, he was already pinned against the wall with no way to escape. William drew closer, sitting on the edge of the bed, trapping Pete between him and the wall._

_"Stop fighting me, Peter," said William enticingly. "Give in to your hunger. Be what you are, and experience the power I've given you." As he spoke he wound his arm around Pete's shoulders, pressing his hand to the side of Pete's head to draw him forward and hold him still. Pete struggled weakly as William pressed his wrist to Pete's mouth, forcing him to either choke or swallow. Pete drank unwillingly, painfully aware of William's cruel smile of triumph._

_"You're mine now, Peter," he said. "You belong to me."_

_Tears burned down Pete's face as he realized that it was true._


	4. Reinforcements

**A/N: I just want to give a special thanks to Yellowfur again for giving me a really nice shout-out in her FOB fanfic "This Ain't A Scene, It's A Fanfic". And thank everyone who gave me a great review!**

**Reinforcements**

Pete woke with a strangled cry, crashing into the doors of his closet-bed so hard they flew open. He looked around in abject terror, expecting to see William's face somewhere. But he was still safe in the warehouse with his friends, hidden away from his enemies. Breathing a sigh of relief, Pete climbed out of bed and stretched out.

"You OK?" asked Tanith, coming into the room.

"Just a nightmare," replied Pete wearily. "I thought it was real for a minute."

"Want to talk about it?" Tanith asked gently. Pete shook his head and Tanith mercifully dropped the subject. "I've noticed you have a workout room. Want to spar with me?"

Pete looked up in surprise, then smiled. "If you think you can handle me."

Tanith laughed. "I've trained for years with professionals. I can handle an angsty vampire." Now it was Pete's turn to laugh. They went into the training room and Tanith immediately took a fighting stance.

"Not gonna stretch first?" asked Pete.

"We're vampires; I don't think it makes a difference anymore," Tanith replied. Pete shrugged and took a stance. Tanith feinted right and struck him hard in the side when he lunged. They sparred for more than an hour, inflicting real injuries on each other that healed quickly. Finally Pete seized Tanith from behind, twisting her arm behind her while he locked the other arm around her throat.

"Holler 'uncle'," he said with a grin.

"Nope," Tanith grunted, scorpion-kicking him and knocking him back. She was on him in an instant, pinning him down by his throat and making a pounding motion over his heart. "You're dead. I win." Pete grinned as Tanith backed off him and helped him up. "You're very good, Pete. A little sporadic, if I want to be critical, but very good."

"Thanks," said Pete, panting, as they both were. "You're awesome. I've never seen anyone kick like that."

"A move my mother taught me," Tanith said proudly, cradling the arm Pete had twisted. When he looked at it in concern, she explained, "Just a spiral fracture, it'll heal in a second. We should do this again sometime."

"Definitely," Pete agreed. "Right now, though, I just want breakfast."

Tanith nodded and they went into the kitchen. Pete set about making his blood substitute, offering some to Tanith, who agreed to try.

"Human blood is really the best for you," she said conversationally. "But animal blood is a good substitute. You can buy pig's and cow's at a butcher shop. Your powers won't reach their potential without human blood, though."

"I won't bite anyone," said Pete with finality.

"I didn't say you had to," replied Tanith. "Try a blood bank, or a hospital. They always have a few packs to spare, no matter how much they advertise that they don't. I'll get you a few later, if you want. My personal favorite is B-negative." She regarded him thoughtfully over the rim of the glass he had handed her. "How did this happen to you anyway?"

Pete looked up at her, then down into the blender with a sigh. "I was getting some stuff from a food store. Me and the guys…we were on our way out of the city. It was a beautiful, peaceful night, and I was watching the stars instead of my back. Just when I thought things were going to be all right, someone grabbed me from behind and sank his fangs into my neck. I fought and yelled, but even if there was someone around to hear me no one would have helped. I couldn't stand soon and had to kneel on the cement while he held me. When he finally let go and I looked behind me I saw the Baron - William. I was dying, I knew it; I couldn't even fight to break free of him. He was smiling at me in a way I didn't like. He said something; I couldn't hear him. My ears were ringing. He held my head and I saw that his wrist was bleeding. I tried to fight, but he forced me to drink his blood. He watched me die, standing over me the whole time without a word. When it was finished and I realized what he had done to me, I threw a punch at him and ran for it. I didn't know what to do; I was so afraid and angry and confused. I finally found Patrick in the streets and he saw what had happened. He and Joe and Andy had been looking for me 'cus I had been gone for hours. We came back here to try to figure out what to do next. William's been after me ever since." He sighed and pushed a hand through his messy hair.

Tanith nodded sympathetically. "Yes, Billy's always been a stubborn bastard. I'm sorry for what happened to you."

"Thanks, I- _Billy?"_ repeated Pete with a snicker. Tanith grinned.

"I always called him that when I wanted to annoy him," she said. "That, or just Bill. He hates familiarity, so of course I used it often." She took a sip from the glass and rolled it around in her mouth with a thoughtful expression. Finally she swallowed with a nod, remarking, "Not bad."

Pete drank his share while watching Tanith. He couldn't figure her out at all. She had built her existence on that trait. "Stop me if this is a bad subject, but what about Brendon?"

Tanith looked up at Pete curiously. "What about him?"

"Well, have you talked to him since you left?"

Tanith smiled sadly. "I'd really like to, but if he knows that I'm here then William could find out too easily. I need the element of surprise on my side for now. I can use that to get his blood for the cure, which I should do before too long. I want to see Brendon again. I wonder if he moved on when I left."

"I don't think so," said Pete. "Granted, we're not exactly swapping stories over tea and cookies, but I haven't seen him with a girl that he wasn't going to bite." Tanith smiled.

"I trust your judgment," she said. "And his fidelity."

"You really do love him, don't you," said Pete quietly.

"Yes, I do. I understand it might be hard for you to think of Brendon as anything other than an adversary, but I truly love him with all my dead, black heart. I know him in a different way than you do. I know him as the one who held me close and let me cry blood tears all over his fancy suit. I know him as the one who held my hand and walked with me when I couldn't sleep. I know him as the one who loved me for who I am and not what he wanted me to be. I know him as the one who helped me escape."

Pete nodded thoughtfully. "I guess I understand. Makes me glad that I didn't kill him."

"Yes, I appreciate that too," laughed Tanith.

"You know, he carries a picture of you," commented Pete. "I knocked his derby off once; there's a picture of you in the band on the inside."

"Really?" Tanith's eyes lit up and she smiled warmly. "Thanks, Pete. I needed to hear that."

"Please tell me we're not getting all 'warm and fuzzy' in here," came Andy's voice, followed by Andy himself. Joe and Patrick joined the group soon.

"Just talking," replied Pete.

Tanith stood up and went to the refrigerator. "Do you guys like scrambled eggs? I'll make some."

"Oh, you don't have to," said Patrick.

"You're putting me up – or rather, putting up with me – for a few nights," Tanith said with a smile. "It's the least I can do." The guys laughed and agreed that scrambled eggs sounded good. Tanith did more than that – she scrambled eggs with potatoes, onions, peppers, and sausage. The result was a flavorful and filling meal.

"My dad taught me to cook eggs," Tanith said when asked. "Grandma taught me to bake, and Mom taught me everything else."

"You're a good learner," said Joe through a mouthful of eggs.

"Thanks." Tanith smiled. "You guys have a phone? I should call my friend, the Wolf-Man. He could be a big help, and I need his venom before the end of the month and it loses its potency."

"Sure, over there," said Andy, vaguely indicating the coffee table. Tanith fished the phone out from under a stack of newspapers and punched in a number. After a while, someone finally picked up on the other end.

_"Émile, c'est Tanith! Ça va?" _Tanith said into the phone. The guys looked over at her in surprise.

"A French werewolf," said Andy dully.

"Sure, why not," replied Patrick, shaking his head.

_"É__coutez, j'ai besoin d'une faveur__ s'il te plait,"_ Tanith said.

"Anyone have any idea what she's saying?" asked Joe.

"She's asking Émile for a favor," said Pete. Now the guys looked at _him _in surprise.

"Since when do you speak French?" Andy demanded.

"I don't," answered Pete. "I'm just guessing."

_"__Ah Émile, merci beaucoup! Á bientôt!"_ Tanith said brightly before hanging up the phone. "Good news: Émile will be here by tomorrow at the latest. The full moon, when his venom is at its strongest, is tomorrow night, so I'll get it then."

"Um…how, exactly?" asked Andy.

"Ever seen someone milk venom from a rattlesnake? It's kinda like that," said Tanith. The guys decided they'd rather not ask questions. "In the meantime, I'm going out to get William's blood. Anyone have a syringe?"

"There's a medi-kit over there," said Patrick, pointing. With a word of thanks, Tanith went to inspect the kit. From her triumphant "Ah-ha!", the band assumed that she had found what she needed.

"I'll be back in about half an hour," she called, heading for the door.

"And if you're not?" asked Pete.

"Just wait longer!"

"Do you want us to come-"

The door slammed.

"Hah, she dumped you," Joe teased.

"Hey, don't make fun of her like that," said Pete. "She really loves Brendon. She wouldn't betray him."

* * *

Tanith walked down the dark streets with her hands ready to grab a stake or her gun from her belt, eyes searching for hide or hair of William. She spotted him soon enough, indulging himself with a pretty, busty girl slightly older than Tanith herself. While he was thus distracted, Tanith slipped up behind him and jabbed the syringe into his neck, swiftly filling it with blood. William teleported out of her grasp, but not quickly enough; Tanith had what she wanted. The girl William had been feeding on had crumpled to the ground, and Tanith knelt to check her. She was unconscious but still alive and with enough blood in her body to stay that way. Satisfied, Tanith straightened and squared her shoulders. 

"Who in the hell are you?" William demanded furiously. "How dare you draw my blood!"

"You gave it to me willingly enough the last time," Tanith commented casually. She turned around smiling a grim, twisted mockery of a smile. "Hello lover."

William stared at her in shock. "Tanith? But how? I thought you were dead."

"Oh, but I _am_ dead, Billy," she said venomously. "You killed me five years ago. Don't you remember? You, like a spoiled child, played with me until you grew bored and then threw me aside. You pretended to care for me until you lost interest. You ground my heart under your heel just to watch me writhe." Her eyes flashed fire as she glared at him. "I hate you so," she hissed.

William looked at her, a sad puppy look. "I thought you loved me," he said softly.

Tanith's lip curled back in a sneer. "I did love you. Then I found out that you murdered my parents."

"What?" William stared at her, bewildered. "Tanith, I swear I never-"

"But I know you _did,"_ snapped Tanith, cutting him off. "I know! I saw the summoning ritual. I saw my parents' items as the focus. You are the only one in that house powerful enough to summon and control a vengeance demon!"

"Who says that it _was_ under control?" William countered. Tanith opened her mouth to retort, then stopped.

"What do you mean?" she demanded coldly.

"Tanith, yes, I knew about the vengeance demon," said William gently, entreating her to believe him. "But I swear it was not I who summoned it. The one who did was destroyed by it because he _wasn't _powerful enough to control it. And that was many years ago, before I'd ever met you."

_"Liar!"_ Tanith hissed, but there was uncertainty in her eyes.

"I swear I did not destroy your family," insisted William. "Hate me if you must, but do it honestly. I loved you, Tanith. I still love you. When I lost connection with you, I was devastated. I knew that I had lost the best thing to ever happen in my unlife. Seeing you here, now, alive before me…I can't express how I feel. Please believe me, Tanith. Please come back to me." He reached out to her, his eyes entreating and sad. Tanith's gaze melted. She reached out to him, moving forward slowly.

"I'm sorry, Billy," she whispered, tears glistening red in her eyes. "I'm sorry I accused you. I'm sorry I left you. I'm sorry I attacked you." She was in his arms now, leaning against him as he held her close.

"Oh Tanith-" William said, but his next words were lost in a scream of angry pain as Tanith drove a stake into him just below his belt.

"But I'm not sorry about that," she smirked, watching William double over in pain with grim satisfaction.

William gasped for breath as he straightened, glaring at Tanith. "If that had been permanent, I would have been _very_ upset!"

"Use it or lose it," Tanith taunted. "Bye now!" She was gone in the blink of an eye, leaving William alone in the street. By and by he recovered himself, gazing down the dark street after Tanith, though she was long gone. A dark smile spread slowly across his features.

"Clever, Tanith," he remarked softly. "Clever indeed. I had forgotten your strength. I will not make that mistake again."


	5. Retribution

**Retribution**

Tanith's eyes were still blazing when she returned to the warehouse. "Of all the backstabbing lowlife candy-ass _pricks_ in this city, I had to fall for the one who I can't fight on my own!" she raged, viciously kicking a chair.

"I'm guessing you and William had words?" asked Joe.

"Not now!" Tanith threw the syringe of blood at him and stormed into the workout room. The guys could hear her grunting and shouting as she beat the living daylights out of their punching bag and threw ten knives into the kill zones of their targets.

"OK, I'd say we let her blow off some steam before we talk strategy," Patrick said. The others agreed and left Tanith to her emotional discharge. It took a long while, but finally Tanith's rage died down and she slowly joined the others.

"I'm sorry about that," she said heavily, dropping into a chair.

"Hey, better the punching bag than us," answered Pete with a cheeky grin. Tanith grinned back tiredly.

"All right, we've got the blood, the garlic, and the holy water," she said. "Émile will be here in a matter of hours, so we'll have the venom. All we need now is to kill William. Anyone have any suggestions?"

"He's the baddest badass in the city," Pete said. "I've taken out scores of his Dandies with only my fists and a few stakes, but I can't even come close to matching him."

"Then mono-a-mono combat isn't an option," said Tanith. "Or maybe it's vampiro-a-vampiro in our case. Whatever. The point is that William is too strong for us to take on singly. If we can dispatch his lackeys and rush him at once, we may have a chance. But I'm telling you, Pete, you're not going to be nearly as strong as you could be without drinking human blood. I grabbed a few packs from the hospital on my way back here, so you can try those. Don't look at me like that; these people are presumably still alive. You don't have to kill to feed."

Pete sighed. "I know. I'm just trying to hold onto as much of my humanity as I can."

Tanith's eyes softened. "Pete, look at me." She waited for him to comply before saying, "You're not a monster. You feed on blood because you have been turned into something that _has _to feed on blood. It's not your fault. You don't hurt people, do you? You help them by destroying those that _are_ monsters. You protect your humanity with every innocent life you save." She offered him a blood pack. "You need this. You need the strength and stamina it will give you. You're not hurting anyone by taking it, though you hurt yourself when you refuse it."

Pete hesitated a moment before taking the pack and sucking on the tube like a straw. He swallowed thoughtfully before nodding. "It's good. Way better than the synthetic stuff." Tanith smiled.

"Drinking it like this after you're used to having it fresh is sort of like drinking flat soda, but it's still better for you than anything else. You'll start to feel a difference very soon, I'm sure. We can spar later if you want. You may even beat me this time." Tanith leaned back in her seat with a satisfied smile, looking around at the other boys. "So what are we going to do? Have you guys ever even considered a full-on assault to the finish against William and his fairies? I mean, Dandies?" The guys laughed at the joke.

"We did, but we wrote it off as suicide," said Patrick. "I mean, the guy is a powerful, sadistic son-of-a-bitch."

"No, he's not sadistic," said Tanith quietly, a distant sort of look in her eyes. She sighed. "I need to think. I'm going outside for a while, to the roof. I just need some air right now." The others nodded and she left.

"Do you think she's all right?" asked Andy.

"Who knows?" answered Pete. "She's been through a lot. We all have."

* * *

About five minutes later Tanith sat on the roof of the warehouse, her knees pulled up to her chin, her arms folded on top of her knees, her chin on her arms broodingly. Her mind wandered, torn between thoughts of Brendon, William, and her newfound friends. She loved Brendon with all her heart, but some small part of her still wanted William, even after what he had done to her. She didn't believe for an instant that he had had nothing to do with her parents' deaths. But still, he had seemed so sincere… 

"Whoever you are, go away before I kill you," she growled, aware that someone was behind her and it wasn't Patrick, Pete, Joe, or Andy.

"I never could surprise you, could I?" came a voice she knew well.

"Benny?" she asked softly, raising her head and turning slowly. Brendon smiled lovingly at her. "Benny!" Tanith leapt to her feet and threw her arms around Brendon's neck, hugging him tightly. "Oh Brendon, I am _so_ glad to see you!" she gushed. "I'm so sorry about what I said before; I thought you were someone else."

"It's ok, I know," said Brendon, giving her an affectionate squeeze. "I couldn't believe it when I heard you were back in the city; I've been looking for you for nights."

"You found me," Tanith said softly. She pressed her lips to his in a deep kiss that was far too long in coming for the both of them. "Benny, you can't tell anyone that you found me here. No one can know where I am."

"Because then Peter and his friends will be in danger," Brendon guessed.

"Because I'm going to kill William," Tanith corrected. Brendon blinked in surprise, then his gaze softened.

"I guess I'm not too surprised," he said. "After what he did to you, I mean…"

Tanith nodded, but didn't say anything. Brendon sat next to her and put his arm around her shoulders. She smiled up at him and rested her head on his shoulder. No words were exchanged. No words were needed.

At length Brendon turned and pressed his lips to Tanith's temple. "Your hair still smells the same as it used to. I always loved the smell of your hair."

Tanith smiled. "I use an herbal shampoo." She sighed sadly. "Brendon, I love you. But you have to go. The longer you stay, the more attention you draw to us. I'm so sorry, and I hate to say this, but you should go. We'll have our time together soon, I promise." She leaned up and kissed him. "I love you," she said softly when they broke apart.

"I love you too," said Brendon. "And you're right; I have to go. I'll do what I can for you, though. Anything I can."

"The best you can do for me is to keep this location secret," said Tanith. She smiled. "I've missed you so much. I'll see you again soon." She turned to leave, but turned back quickly, saying, "Wait a sec." Walking up to Brendon, she slipped her hand into his breast pocket and took out his handkerchief. "I know it's silly, but I want something that smells like you." She smiled shyly up at him and he smiled back. Blowing one last kiss, Tanith disappeared back down the stairs into the warehouse and Brendon left, still smiling. He thought of Tanith the whole walk back to the mansion on the far side of town where the Dandies resided. He was still smiling blissfully when he walked in and through the main room where his comrades were relaxing.

William watched Brendon over the top of the book he was pretending to read. He knew that Brendon had seen Tanith; he still had her scent on him. Brendon knew where Tanith was hiding – presumably along with Peter and his friends. Getting that information from him was going to be decidedly unpleasant. It wasn't that William wanted to hurt Brendon – he was actually fond of the boy. But he always did whatever was necessary to get his own way.

"And where have you been?" he asked mildly as Brendon walked by.

"Oh, um, just out," Brendon said vaguely. "I heard the rumors that Tanith was alive and here in the city, and I wanted to find out if they were true for once."

"Really?" asked William, setting aside his book and rising slowly. "Did you find anything?"

"No, sir," Brendon answered. "They were just rumors, as always." He was fidgeting, unable to make eye contact for more than a second or two. He was lying. "Um, I was just going to the library for a while, if you don't need me, sir."

"By all means," William replied smoothly. Brendon left, made very nervous by William's off-putting smile. William shook his head slightly. "Brendon, how many times have I warned you not to lie to me?" he asked himself as he followed his associate.

Brendon closed the library doors and sighed in relief. It seemed that he was in the clear, for now. True, William seemed creepier than usual, but that could just as well have been his imagination. "Get a grip, Brendon," he told himself, walking towards the chess table. "You're acting completely paranoid."

"Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean you're wrong."

Brendon jumped and spun around to face William. "Y-you surprised me, sir," he stammered.

William chuckled darkly. "That was the idea." He walked towards Brendon with slow, deliberate steps. "Tell me something, Brendon: where is Tanith hiding?"

"Tanith?" repeated Brendon shakily. "I-I told you, sir, I didn't find-"

"Ah, but I know you _did,"_ William interrupted. "You have her scent on you. Not only did you find her, but you touched her, kissed her, held her in your arms. You know where she is. And you're going to tell me."

"All right," Brendon sighed. "I met up with her on the street. But I don't know where she's hiding; she didn't tell me."

"You're lying to me, Brendon," William said in a dangerous tone. "You know how much I hate that."

"Sir, I swear-" Brendon began, but he was cut off when William viciously seized a handful of his hair, forced him to his knees, and held him face-down on the table. Brendon thrashed desperately, pleading, but William ignored him and jabbed a needle into the back of Brendon's neck, injecting him with a serum that would inhibit his healing ability.

"Save your breath, Brendon," he said icily. "You're going to need it."

* * *

**A/N:** Heads up, Brendon Urie fans, he's gonna get a major hurtin' put on him! It's not that I don't love Brendon, he just happens to be expendable right now. 


	6. Inquisition

**Inquisition**

_William woke with an uncomfortable sensation in his chest. Confused he opened the lid of his coffin and climbed out…discovering that his favorite suit had been torn to shreds and his best fedora had been nailed to his coffin with a railroad spike right above his heart._

_"I take it Tanith is upset with me," he murmured thoughtfully. "I'll have to-"_

_"E-excuse me, sir," said Richard, one of the Dandies, opening the door tentatively._

_"What is it?" demanded William irritably._

_"It's Tanith, sir," said Richard. "She's…she's…"_

_"She's _what_, for heaven's sake?"_

_"Sir, she's dead."_

_William's eyes widened. "You can't be serious."_

_"I'm sorry, sir," Richard said unhappily. "We found her ashes on the roof. She killed herself in the sunlight."_

_ William just stared at his underling, a pained expression crossing his face. "Out," he whispered._

_"Sir?" asked Richard._

_"Get out," repeated William. "GET OUT!"_

Tanith woke with a jolt, smacking her head against the metal doors of the closet. "Owwww," she groaned, still half asleep. "Fuck." She pushed the doors open and climbed out, rubbing her head where she had struck it. She thought about her dream. Is that what had happened the night after she escaper from the Dandies' lair? Had William really been upset by the news of her death? Tanith shook her head to clear it. It was way too early for an existential meltdown.

She pushed the metal doors open and sat up, cracking her neck slowly. As she rose and went to the kitchen she thought about Brendon. He could be of great assistance to her and her new friends, but could they accept the aid of a Dandy, even one faltering in his devotion to the Baron? Tanith loved Brendon because she knew who he really was; like she had told Pete the night before, he only knew Brendon as an adversary. Well, there was still some time to think about it, she reasoned.

"What're you doin' up?" Joe's sleepy voice drawled as he dragged himself into the room, plopping himself down at the counter.

"Good morning, Sunshine," Tanith teased. "I had a weird dream. Woke me up."

"About what?" asked Joe.

"Nothing important," Tanith replied, turning away and popping a blood pack from the fridge in the microwave.

"Are you sure?" asked Joe. "Dreams can mean something, and if you figure out what-"

"I said no!" Tanith snapped, spinning around to glare at him.

"All right, all right, I'm sorry," Joe said, shrinking back. Tanith just growled a little and turned back to the microwave. Joe silently got himself a glass of orange juice, knowing better than to say anything. Tanith was a good kid, but her patience had been stretched to the breaking point over the last few years and was wearing thin. She also had a dangerously short temper that, while useful when fighting other vampires, also put him at risk. He had met vampires with short tempers before; the end always resulted in injuries.

Eventually the microwave dinged and Tanith pulled out her blood pack, taking a long drink from the IV tube. She sighed after swallowing and looked at Joe. "Look, I'm sorry. But I don't like to talk about things as personal as my dreams." She hesitated a moment before asking, "Would you understand if I said I was only human?"

Joe laughed. "Yeah, I understand. It's OK." Tanith smiled and took another drink.

"What's up, dudes?" asked Patrick, coming into the kitchen and fixing himself some coffee.

"We are, apparently," replied Joe. Tanith made a sound of agreement in the back of her throat but didn't say anything. Patrick turned to her with a concerned frown.

"Something bothering you?" he asked.

Tanith rolled her eyes. "If everyone's going to ask me that, I might as well be honest." She sighed heavily before saying, "I saw Brendon last night. He came here to see me. I was so happy to see him! But now I have a really bad feeling. I'm afraid that he's in trouble because he knows where I am."

"Yeah, but he loves you," Patrick said. "He wouldn't give you up, right?"

"Not _willingly,_ no," answered Tanith unhappily. "But given enough time with William's version of persuasion-"

"Eww," said Joe, grimacing.

"Oh God," said Patrick with a shudder. "He'd torture him? Just to find you?"

"If he finds me, he finds you guys too," Tanith pointed out. "He won't pass that up lightly."

Patrick took a deep drink of his coffee, his face a mask of concern. "Why is he after Pete? Why did he turn him in the first place?"

Tanith smiled darkly. "Because he was afraid of what Pete can become. Pete could easily be more powerful that William if he lets his powers develop. The problem is that Pete won't do that for fear of losing his humanity."

Joe whistled. "Are you going to tell him that? If he knew, we could beat the Baron and the Dandies and all the vamps in this city once and for all."

"If I were to follow the formula of a faerie tale, I suppose I would say 'No, this is something he must discover for himself'," Tanith mused. "But this is no faerie tale. The evil sorcerer is winning, the princess is not asleep but dead, the prince is a toad and all the kisses in the world can't change that, and love does not conquer all. I'll tell him when he wakes up."

"Cynical way of putting it, but I guess you're right," said Patrick.

"I think I've earned the right to cynicism," Tanith said. She sighed. "I'm going out. I didn't tell Émile where the warehouse is in case of phone taps, so I'll see if he's in the city yet. He ought to be; he's rarely late. Be back soon."

The guys said goodbye and Tanith left, her hands in her pockets. She carried only three weighted throwing knives and her magnum, but she still felt heavy and tired. Her heart was weighing her down, it seemed, so full of conflict and unfulfilled desires. All she wanted was peace with the ones she loved. It wasn't such a lot to ask, really, but it seemed that it was the one thing she'd never have. After walking a few blocks, she got the prickly feeling on the back of her neck that someone was either watching her or too near her for comfort. She could hear a vampire's heartbeat not far away. Stopping, Tanith looked into the distance curiously. A slim girl stood in the shadows, apparently waiting for something. She was very pretty, with short soft brown hair, sky blue eyes, smooth milk-white skin, and delicate, angular features. Tanith's eyes widened in surprise and delight.

_"Minuet!" _she squealed, running to the girl. Minuet turned just in time to receive a crushing hug from her friend. "Oh Minuet, I'm so glad to see you! How've you been? What are you doing here?"

"It's great to see you too, Tan," Minuet said, smiling as she gave her friend an affectionate squeeze. "I've been great, really, though it's pretty quiet without you around to cause trouble." Tanith laughed. "I was sent out here to check on you, actually. How are you holding up?"

"I'm good, really good," said Tanith. "Made some new friends, kicked some ass, hooked up with an old boyfriend, the usual. How's Gabriel?"

Minuet smiled at the mention of her sire – and boyfriend's – name. "He's just fine. He says 'hi', by the way."

Tanith smiled. Gabriel was a very handsome vampire with pale skin, jewel-like hazel eyes, and glossy black hair that he cut in layers to the nape of his neck so it framed his angelic face. All the girls, and some of the guys, in the Syndicate had crushes on him, but his heart was only for Minuet.

_"Bon soir, mes amis,"_ came a new voice.

"Émile!" cried Tanith happily, running to greet the newcomer, who smiled and caught her in his arms. They kissed quickly on both cheeks, both glad to see each other. Tanith stepped back and smiled up at the werewolf. He was very good-looking, with short hair bleached white-blond, dark eyebrows, puppy-dog eyes, and a playfully crooked smile. Despite his square chin and high cheekbones, Émile's face still had a roundness to it that gave him an innocent, boyish look when he smiled, which was often.

"It's great to see you, _chérie__,"_ he said with his crooked smile. "It's been too quiet without you."

"So I hear," Tanith laughed. "I'm so glad you're here. I'm gonna need that venom before the full moon passes. And, with your added firepower, we'll be that much stronger against William and the others."

"Exactly how many vampires are _in_ this city?" asked Minuet.

"Well…there's roughly a one-to-three ratio of humans to vampires," said Tanith hesitantly.

"And how many humans are there?" asked Émile.

"About forty, give or take," answered Tanith. Minuet groaned.

"A hundred and twenty vamps in one city?!" yelped Émile.

"Give or take," Tanith affirmed unhappily. "Look, we can worry about that later. Let's go back to the hideout, and you can meet Pete and the rest of the guys." Without waiting for an answer she turned and started back toward the warehouse, knowing her friends would follow. But as soon as they reached the warehouse Tanith knew something was wrong. "Wait here a sec. If you see any guys in 1920's suits and derbies, kill them with extreme prejudice." Tanith slipped inside silently…and was greeted by William and several of his best lieutenants. Andy, Joe, Patrick, and Pete were scattered through the room fighting while William stood in the center watching with that insufferable smile.

Tanith's eyes went wide. _"You!"_ she shouted. William turned to smile at her.

"Ah Tanith, it _is_ good to see you," he said.

"How in the hell did you find me here?" Tanith demanded in an angry hiss.

"A little bat told me," replied William with a smug smile. Tossing something to Tanith, he casually asked, "Look familiar?" Tanith caught what he had thrown, opened her hand…and gave a furious shriek. In her hand was a pair of bloody fangs. _Brendon's _fangs.

_"I'll kill you!"_ she screamed. _"I'll kill you, you gutter-blooded son of a whore!"_ She launched herself at him, but he was gone before she even came close.

"Now Tanith," he said in mock reproof, reappearing a few yards away. "That's no way to get what you want. Why I-" But he was cut off by Tanith's fist connecting with his jaw with a sickening _crack!_ She seized a chair, snapped one of the legs off to form a makeshift stake, and lunged at William with a feral shriek. William vanished before she struck, and she spun around, searching for him.

"I'll kill you I'll kill you I'll kill you," she kept chanting. But William was gone, as well as his cronies who had survived.

"Tanith, what the hell just happened?!" cried Minuet, running inside with Émile.

"I'm going to kill him!" Tanith screeched. Minuet blinked in surprise, then her eyes widened as she realized what had happened.

"Brendon…" she said softly. "That son of a bitch did something to Brendon, didn't he?" It wasn't really a question. Émile snarled, his canines already elongating into werewolf fangs.

"We'll find him, Tan, don't worry," he said. "If we have to tear the whole city down brick by brick, we'll find him."

"That won't be necessary," said Tanith in a dangerous tone. Looking at the whole group, she said, "I know where Brendon is."

* * *

**A/N:**** É****mile and Gabriel are both based on Gerard Way, who, sadly, I do not own.  
**


	7. Maw of the Beast

**Maw of the Beast**

_"Brendon, I feel that Tanith and I have been growing too much apart," William commented to Brendon. "I want to give her something for her upcoming birthday, but I'm not sure what. You seem to have her ear; what would you suggest?"_

_Brendon was surprised by the question, but tried not to let it show. "Well there's the usual things: flowers, chocolates…promises you don't intend to keep."_

_William laughed. "Ah Brendon, I do believe this house wouldn't be nearly the same without your offbeat humor now and again." Brendon just smiled, secretly hoping that whatever William _did_ get Tanith wouldn't outshine the white-gold Claddagh ring with a garnet heart that he himself had gotten for her birthday._

"Wake up, Brendon."

Brendon groaned and raised his head as best he could to see William smiling at him, cruelly triumphant. "Please-" he moaned.

"Don't worry, Brendon; it's over now," William interrupted smoothly. "Tanith is on her way home now."

"No…" whispered Brendon. "Please, leave her alone."

"I am all too aware of your feelings for Tanith, Brendon, but the fact of the matter is that she is still mine," William said calmly. "I don't intend to harm her; you know that. But I have never given up anything, and I don't intend to start now. She'll come here. She'll bring Peter. And by the time they realize what's happened, they'll both be trapped." Smiling his sinister smile, William left Brendon to his sorrow.

* * *

Pete was many things, but none of these included "idiot". He knew that they were being led into a trap; all of them knew it, though they suspected this was William's "Plan B". No one had expected the outburst Tanith had displayed, not even Tanith herself. It was obvious that William had been thrown by the power she had shown, and this was an advantage. If she could control this power it would be better still, but there was no time for that. Brendon could already be dead, as William had no further use for an insubordinate subordinate. They had to move fast if they wanted to save him. Joe and Andy were a little hesitant about saving a Dandy, but Patrick pointed out that Brendon had suffered having his fangs ripped out because he loved Tanith so much. It was doubtful that he would betray them. 

Pete, Tanith, and Émile went ahead to the mansion that Tanith described while Patrick, Joe, Andy, and Minuet followed in the car. They would cause a disturbance while the immortals of the group found Brendon and got him out of there. Minuet used a special power of hers called _glamour_ to make herself look like Tanith so William, if he bothered paying attention, wouldn't know that the real Tanith was breaking Brendon free. It wasn't perfect, but it was the best they could do.

As soon as the four from the car had burst through the doors, guns blazing, Tanith led Pete and Émile to the back of the house and slid her slim body through a small window at ground level, the boys following. The stench of blood hung heavy in the air. It grew stronger still as they delved into the darkness until they could practically taste it. At that point they had come to a thick wooden door. It was locked, but Émile broke it down easily and they went inside.

"Oh my god…" Tanith croaked, her voice a bare thread of a whisper, her eyes wide in horror. Brendon hung from a great wooden X, nails through his hands and feet to hold him. He was only wearing a pair of boxers, and he shivered from cold and agony. He was drenched in his own blood, his lip was split and puffy, his left eye swollen shut, deep gashes all over his body. He had been starved, beaten, whipped, sunburned, and God knows what else. Blood flowed freely from his mouth, reminding Tanith that Brendon's fangs had been cruelly ripped out. Nausea hit her stomach like a fist.

"Benny…" she whispered hoarsely. "Benny, it's me. It's Tanith. I finally found you, and I'm going to take care of you."

Brendon raised his head slowly, opening his good eye. "I'm sorry, Tanith," he croaked, lisping a little due to his missing teeth. "I tried…"

"No, baby, it's not your fault!" Tanith insisted. "Don't be sorry; it's not your fault."

"Where's Peter?" asked Brendon weakly. "Did the Baron-"

"No, he didn't," said Pete, stepping forward. "I'm right here. We're gonna help you. All of us." Looking around, Brendon could see that Tanith's friends were gathered there. Tanith forced a weak smile.

"See? It's all OK now," she whispered. The pitiful façade fell through, though, and she said, "Why aren't you healing? What has he done to you?"

"Injected me with something," Brendon whimpered. "Tanith, it _hurts…"_

Tanith's hands began to shake with rage. "Get him down and take him out of here," she said in a low voice. _"Billy_ and I need to have a little talk."

The others knew better than to protest. Tanith cast a comforting look to Brendon before leaving the dungeon to find William. In her hurry, she literally ran into a _pomme de sang_ named Claire, who had always been jealous of Tanith and William's relationship. Claire scowled when she saw Tanith.

"Back again, are you? You think Billy's _actually_ going to take you back?" she sneered.

"No, I think I'm going to kill him, and you if you don't get out of my way," Tanith snarled.

"You're no match for him!" laughed Claire.

"I'm more than a match for _you,_ coffin bait!" Tanith snapped, shunting Claire aside while the girl stared at her in shock. "Coffin bait" was a term for whores who had sex with vampires. Very insulting indeed. But the stupid girl didn't matter, and Tanith forgot about her almost instantly. She was focused on one thing only: _revenge._

She found William in the library (of course), sipping his damned tea. Tanith shot the cup from his hand, causing him to look up mildly.

"I wasn't finished with that," he remarked, smiling. Big mistake. Tanith tackled him, empowered by lividity and hatred, knocking over the couch he sat on. She shrieked like a Harpy, pummeling William's face before he recovered himself enough to teleport out of her grip. She jumped up, waited for him to reappear, and lunged again.

"Bastard! You evil piss-sucking reject of Hell!" she screamed, her voice of an intensity that shattered several glass and crystal objects in the room. "Where's the antidote?! Give it to me! Or I swear I'll carve that pretty face off your skull and make it into a death mask!"

William finally caught her fist and held it, the bruises on his face healing rapidly. "Tanith, I don't know what you mean," he insisted.

Tanith's eyes blazed. _"WRONG ANSWER!" _She grabbed a fistful of his hair and yanked it towards her as hard as she could, twisting William's head around a little more than 180 degrees. William screamed in agony and anger, flailing at Tanith. As he did, a vial of reddish liquid fell out of his jacket: the antidote for the serum he had poisoned Brendon with. Kicking him as hard as she could, sending him flying across the room, Tanith snatched up the vial. She glowered at William as he righted his broken neck and glared at her, murder in his eyes. But he was surprised to see a faint sadness through the hatred in Tanith's.

"You're the Devil," she said venomously, but softly. Somehow that softness made her words cut deeper, and William wished she had shouted them instead. But she was gone in an instant, leaving him alone again.

Tanith tore through the house, shooting her magnum with her left hand and swinging her sword with her right as she raced for the main hall. Minuet was wielding a strange weapon, two sword blades, curved in opposite directions, protruding from either end of a short pole. This she spun like a dervish, whirling it almost too fast to see as she attacked, dispatching Dandies left and right. Émile had transformed into a great wolf with glorious black fur, standing on two legs. He uttered a magnificent, bone-chilling howl as he ripped into his enemies. Joe, Andy, and Patrick were going to town with their homemade net guns, Andy's rapier little more than a blur of silver in the air as he battled. Skidding to a halt at the top of the stairs, Tanith gave a shrill whistle through her fingers, signaling her friends to get out quickly. She slid down the banister, firing off her gun randomly before bolting through the door and out into the night with her friends.


	8. Eye of the Storm

**Eye of the Storm**

"Brendon?" Tanith inquired shortly as she ran.

"Warehouse," replied Émile, who had reverted back to his human form. Tanith nodded and the trio ran faster, Tanith the fastest of all. She was desperate to get to Brendon with the antidote so he could start to heal, and the sooner the better, considering the extent of the damage. Minuet grabbed her hand and squeezed it once briefly as a reassurance. Tanith flashed her a quick smile, but it was half-hearted. It seemed an eternity, but it was only a few minutes before they were back in the warehouse. Pete, who had taken Brendon, had laid the half-dead vampire on one of the couches. He looked up when the three entered with a very worried expression.

"He won't stop bleeding," Pete said softly. "And the burned skin smells like it's rotting. He hasn't been coherent since I got him out of there."

Tanith's face crumpled as she darted to her lover's side. "Benny? Benny, can you hear me? You don't have to say anything; just make some sound or movement if you can hear me, please."

"Nnn," Brendon groaned.

"It's OK now," Tanith said in the gentlest tone she could. "It's me, Tanith. You're safe now. You're far away from that hell. It's going to be all right now."

Pete stepped away to give her some vestige of privacy. "Where are the rest of the guys?" he asked Minuet and Émile in a low voice.

"They ran out with us," said Minuet. "They should be here soon; they were following in the car." Pete nodded, relieved. They had souped up their car so it was fast enough to outrace the vampires. If they had made it to the car, they would be all right. Sure enough, the warehouse door opened and closed suddenly and Pete could hear his friends' heartbeats. He relaxed knowing that they were safe.

"How's Brendon?" asked Andy as he and Patrick and Joe walked in.

"Not good," said Minuet sadly. "God I wish I hadn't seen all that."

"Where is he now?" asked Joe. Minuet nodded towards the couch when Tanith was still kneeling next to Brendon, holding his hand. Joe gasped in horror; Andy and Patrick stared. Tanith took no notice, just grabbed the medi-kit from the coffee table, took a syringe out of it, and filled the syringe with the antidote.

"Benny, where did he give you the poison?" she asked carefully. "Please, try to tell me."

"Neck," Brendon moaned. Tanith turned his head gently, held his hand tightly, and injected the antidote into his neck. "Owww, hurts…" Brendon whimpered.

"I know, I know sweetie," Tanith said soothingly, squeezing his hand. "But it'll help you, I promise. There, it's done now." She quickly dropped the syringe and took Brendon's fangs from her pocket, holding them carefully near the holes where they belonged until she felt the tug of his body reclaiming its missing parts and let his system realign and reattach them naturally. While she stayed next to him, Minuet went to the kitchen and got a wet washcloth and a hand towel, handing them to Tanith when she came back into the room. Tanith smiled her thanks and gently cleaned the blood off Brendon's body. Brendon looked up at her, shaking violently still but not whimpering in pain anymore. The wounds he bore were beginning to heal slowly, though Tanith was afraid Pete was right about the burned skin being rotted. She chewed her lower lip worriedly, tearing the skin. Brendon wasn't healing fast enough, and he had lost so much blood. He would die if he didn't feed. Stroking his forehead, Tanith bit into her own wrist and held it to Brendon's mouth.

"Tanith…" said Brendon softly, his lips brushing her skin. The sharing of blood between two vampires is a very intimate act, and not one done lightly. Tanith just smiled encouragingly and nodded. Slowly Brendon parted his lips and bit into Tanith's wrist. She barely even blinked, just kept smiling and stroked his head. Brendon's eyes closed and he relaxed, bringing his hand up to hold Tanith's. He drank faster, blood starting to trickle down his chin.

"Easy, easy," Tanith said gently. "Don't rush, baby. Slow down a little, that's it." As he drank, Brendon's wounds began healing much more rapidly. Tanith cut the palm of her free hand with one fang and touched the blood to the burned and rotten skin, which healed immediately. A healthy color began to return to Brendon's cheeks and he stopped shaking so hard. Joe moved forward and laid a soft blanket over Brendon to warm him. Tanith smiled appreciatively at him before looking back to Brendon. She pulled her wrist away and he sighed, leaning back against the mismatched pillows. He closed his eyes briefly, collecting himself, before looking around at those near him.

"I'm in your warehouse?" he asked Pete, who nodded. Looking from Pete to Andy, Joe, and Patrick, he quietly said, "I'm sorry for everything I've done to you guys. Really, I am."

"Hey, just forget it," said Andy genially. "It's fine now, right guys?" The others agreed and Brendon smiled.

Tanith also smiled and kissed Brendon's cheek. "You try to sleep now, all right? You've been through a lot; you need to rest. I'm sure you'll be good as new when you wake up." Brendon nodded tiredly and closed his eyes. He was sound asleep in a moment, and Tanith rose. "I'm going to _dismember_ that hellion," she said venomously. "God, to think I ever let him touch me…"

"Not tonight, you're not," said Minuet firmly. "You're going to stay with Brendon."

"Of course I am." Tanith sighed, trying not to let her temper flare up. What was important was that she stay near Brendon and take care of him while he needed her. Turning to the band, she said, "I want to thank you for this, for everything. I know I'm not the easiest person to live with, so if I've been acting bitchy or bossy-"

"Don't worry about it," Patrick interrupted gently. "This has been hard on everyone. We're all a little bitchy sometimes; I guess you have to be if you want to stay alive in this city."

Tanith smiled appreciatively. "Thank you." Turning to Émile, she said, "Émile, how about we get the venom I need for the antidote?"

"Sure," said Émile. "Anyone have a bowl?"

"Yeah, I'll grab one," Patrick said, heading to the kitchen. He returned with a cereal bowl that he handed to Émile. "So, uh…how does this work?"

"You can watch, if you want," Émile said with a shrug. He closed his eyes for a moment and morphed into his lupine form. He looked at Tanith with golden eyes and nodded, kneeling on the floor with his back to her, holding the bowl under his upper teeth in his wide-open mouth. Tanith placed her fingertips on either side of Émile's neck just under his jaw and pressed in firmly. Émile grunted and a milky white liquid trickled out of his fangs into the bowl. Tanith pressed a little harder, until the venom finally ran dry and she let her arms drop to her sides while Émile reverted back to his human form.

"Thanks E. I'll mix everything together later," said Tanith, sounding tired. She sat on the couch and took Brendon's head in her lap, stroking his hair lovingly but with a distinctly sad look in her eyes.

"Hey Moon," Minuet said gently. Tanith looked up at her. "It's going to be OK. You know that it will. We're all in this together." Tanith smiled faintly but didn't answer.

_'She loves him so much,'_ Pete thought. _'And she hates William just as much. How can she be happy like that?'_ "Your friend's right, Tanith," he said aloud. "We've started this together, and that's how we'll finish it. William's going down."

Tanith managed a small laugh. "Yeah, I guess you guys are right. I suppose I should make an intro: these are my friends Émile and Minuet. Guys, this is Pete, Joe, Andy, and Patrick." Greetings were exchanged among the group an awkward silence fell. With nothing to say or do, everyone eventually decided to go to sleep. Tanith told Minuet to sleep in her closet-bed; she was going to stay up with Brendon.

"If you're going to do that, then here," said Patrick, pulling out the fold-out bed in one of the other couches. Tanith smiled gratefully as Pete lifted Brendon carefully and laid him on the bed. She said goodnight to the guys and watched them leave before lying next to Brendon and cradling him lovingly in her arms, singing softly to him until she too fell asleep.

_Tanith opened her eyes to complete darkness. Stretching out exploring fingers she felt the lid of a coffin above her and pushed it open. Her mouth fell open in shocked horror: she was in the Dandies' lair again. Frightened, she leapt out of the coffin she had been sleeping in and raced out the door and down the halls. There were Dandies everywhere, but they all just laughed at her, leering. Brendon's face was not among them, and this only served to frighten her still more. She finally made it to the library and found William there waiting for her._

_"Good evening, Tanith," he said with that insufferable grin on his smug face as usual._

_"Where are my friends?! What have you done?!" she demanded, furious._

_"What, no 'hello', no 'how are you'?" asked William, feigning hurt. "Darling, I thought we were closer than that. Don't tell me that my torturing your sweetheart and plotting your downfall have put a damper on our relationship. It was nothing personal, I assure you."_

_"Your soul to the Devil, you swine! Answer my question!" yelled Tanith, eyes blazing._

_William only smiled darker. "As you wish." He indicated his right and Tanith looked. To her abject horror, she saw not only Brendon but Pete, Patrick, Joe, Andy, Minuet, and __É__mile__ standing there, all dressed as Dandies, all with blank faces. _

_"Guys…" she croaked, almost too aghast to speak. "What…how did this happen? Guys, it's me, Tanith. Can't you hear me?"_

_"Of course they can hear you," said William casually. "They just don't know you anymore. Now they belong to me." Grinning an evil grin, he said, "You should have known better, Tanith. If you had stayed, they would be your friends still and not my puppets. You've lost everything now. And I have won. Just accept it, Tanith. Accept it and come back where you belong. Be mine again, like you were before. You remember how happy we were, don't you?"_

_"I would rather die than let you ever touch me again!" Tanith's eyes darted around, finally settling on a fire poker. She seized it and spun to face William, who blinked in surprise, then smiled again._

_"What do you hope to accomplish?" he inquired. "Attack me, and you may slay one of your loved ones instead. Can you live with that?"_

_"Can _you?"_ replied Tanith bitterly. Her mouth twisted in an awful grimace as she turned the poker to herself and stabbed herself in the heart._

_"No!" she heard William shout, but it was too late. Her body was already beginning to disintegrate. A twisted mockery of a smile spread across her features as she started to laugh. It was a terrible, hollow, metallic sound that grew louder and more hysterical as she watched William stare at her in shock. Her friends watched her from a distance, only vaguely recognizing what was happening before them._

_"I love you all," Tanith whispered to them as blood bubbled out her mouth, dribbling down her lips and chin. Looking at William, she added, "But I will always hate you, even beyond death. I will haunt you forever. I promise you that you will never again know one second's peace. I swear it in this blood." And she laughed as she died…_

…and woke herself with her awful, cold laughter.

Tanith clamped a hand over her mouth to suppress the terrible sound before it woke Brendon, or anyone else. She looked around herself. The doors of her closet-bed were still closed, indicating that Minuet was still asleep. Émile, in wolf form, lay curled up peacefully under the table. Brendon was still sleeping in her arms. The rest of the band were in their rooms, presumably sleeping as well. Tanith breathed a sigh of relief. _'What an awful dream,'_ she thought, shaking her head to clear it. _'I wouldn't hesitate to die for the people in this warehouse, but I pray it doesn't come to that. If it did, if I saw them all like that…'_

She didn't sleep the rest of the day.


	9. Remembrancer

**Disclaimer:** The term 'Remembrancer' comes from Garth Nix's books; I don't own it.

**A/N:** Half Jack - There's this marvelous invention called a dictionary. Find one, open it, and look up 'musical'. It'll tell you, in these words: 1.of, pertaining to, or producing music: a musical instrument. 2.of the nature of or resembling music; melodious; harmonious. 3.fond of or skilled in music. 4.set to or accompanied by music: a musical entertainment. –noun **5.Also called musical comedy. a play or motion picture in which the story line is interspersed with or developed by songs, dances, and the like.** You lose.

**Remembrancer**

Unable to sleep, Tanith thought about her dream. She _had_ been so happy with William before he turned her. Even then, she had still enjoyed being with him until she found the black magick ritual that summoned the demon that slaughtered her family. She still didn't believe that William had had nothing to do with it, but something about what he had said still bothered her. He told her that it was a younger, inexperienced vampire who had summoned the demon and had been killed by it. That would explain why the ritual was never cleared away. But how could she possibly believe him? What reason did she have to trust him? Well, there was one way to find out for certain what had happened: she would have to scry into the past and see for herself.

Tanith set seven small dishes around a black mirror on the coffee table. This was something she needed to know once and for all: had William killed her family or not. She fished around in a small backpack Minuet had brought with her and pulled out several small packets of herbs. She put some in each of the dishes; herbs to stimulate memory, to protect against negative energies, to promote astral projectivity, and to invite positive energies. When that was done she lit each one and let them smoke for a moment, breathing in the smoke through her nose before looking down into the mirror, murmuring, "Power of the elements, blessed be. Show me the past that I would see." She breathed onto the mirror's surface, fogging it. As the condensed breath cleared, the scene unfolded and Tanith watched with great anticipation.

She saw a Dandy she didn't recognize hurrying down a hallway, constantly looking around to make sure no one was watching him. He looked strange in that he wasn't wearing a derby, his hair was mussed, his clothes were wrinkled, and he simply had no elegance about him at all. He must have been very young, as a human and a vampire. He was carrying several objects, hunched over them so Tanith couldn't quite make out what they were. He went down into the basement she remembered, set the objects on a table, and started drawing a pentagram in red chalk on the floor. Tanith's lip curled in anger at this perversion of such a pure, sacred symbol of protection, but there was nothing for it now. She watched as the Dandy set a candle, a balloon, a dish of dirt, and a glass of water at four of the points on the pentagram. Fire, air, earth, and water – the four most basic elements. But the candle was made from human fat and the earth was graveyard dirt; Tanith knew it instinctively. This was an evil spell. She watched as the Dandy placed her mother's ring and her father's handkerchief in the centre of the pentagram before standing at the top point of the pentagram – the point of spirit – opening a grimoire and chanting in Latin while he sliced the palm of his hand, dripping the blood into a black resin chalice before the wound closed. The demon appeared in the centre of the pentagram, which was supposed to protect the caster. The Dandy offered it the blood and instructed it to destroy the ones whose items he had placed in the pentagram. The demon took the chalice and drained it before sniffing the items and vanishing. The Dandy grinned, pleased with himself. The image wavered, showing that time had passed, and the demon reappeared. The Dandy raised his arms in an extravagant gesture to dismiss the monster, but it wouldn't leave. The foolish vampire stared in shock and, in his surprise, stepped back from the pentagram, breaking the circle of protection. The demon lunged at the hapless Dandy, tearing him to shreds before vanishing into the night. The pentagram could never be cleaned away now that it had been cursed with blood. William walked into the image, a shocked and horrified expression creasing his features when he saw the scene.

Tanith passed her hand over the mirror, breaking the spell. She had seen enough. William had told her the truth.

Suddenly dizzy and rather nauseas, Tanith leaned back against the couch and put her head between her knees, massaging her temples and breathing deeply through her nose. When she had regained her composure, she looked around at her friends. She had just lost a lot of illusions she had been harboring, and the majority of those had contributed to her hatred of William. Now that she knew he hadn't murdered her parents, what was left? Did she have any reason left to hate him? Yes, he had cast her aside when he grew bored with her, but that was no reason to kill him. Her eyes fell on Brendon, and she remembered what William had done to him. Her expression hardened. Yes, she still hated William, just in a more informed context.

A new curiosity gripped Tanith as she gazed at the mirror's black surface. She replenished the herbs, relit them, spoke the spell, and breathed on the mirror again. This time the scene revealed William as a young man almost a hundred years ago. It was the 1920's from what she could see, and William was walking down a dark street with a lovely girl wearing a little too much make-up on his arm. Everything seemed so peaceful…until a quartet of gangsters came out of nowhere, shoved the girl aside, dragged William into the back of a black car and roared away into the night. Tanith leaned in, fascinated and surprised. Who were these men and why had they kidnapped William? She got her answer when the car stopped outside an old silo and the men got out, talking about ransom and mob money. Apparently William's family was affiliated with the Mafia. They dragged William, now blindfolded with his hands bound behind his back, into the silo and threw him unceremoniously against the wall, two armed men guarding him. He struggled until one of the men clubbed him with his gun, knocking him to the side. That was when all hell broke loose.

A young man suddenly appeared out of nowhere and fell on one of the mobsters, who yelled and fired his gun to no avail. Two other men and three women seemed to materialize out of the shadows and attacked the rest of the gunmen. William, forgotten on the ground, rubbing his shoulder against the blindfold, trying frantically to get it off so he could see what was happening. The gunmen were all screaming and firing desperately, trying to fight off the vampires who were tearing them to pieces. William, who had finally gotten the blindfold off, stared in abject horror at the gruesome scene. Tears started to stream down his face as he watched, unable to blink or look away. The men lay dismembered in pools of their own body fluids, the vampire pack standing over them with satisfied grins stained with blood. One woman became prominent among them. She was very graceful and elegant, dressed in an evening gown of black silk. She was unsullied by blood or viscera, indicating she hadn't been part of the slaughter.

"Did you enjoy your dinner, children?" she asked. The "children" in question made eager sounds of assent. One young man's eyes fell on William and he grinned.

"We missed one," he said. William flinched as all eyes turned to him. The vampire who had spoken turned to their mistress. "Mother, may I-"

"Not this one, Jared," the woman interrupted smoothly. Smiling she sauntered towards William…and Tanith gasped as she saw the woman's face clearly for the first time. Light brown hair, silvery-grey eyes, high cheekbones and rounded yet slim features…_this woman looked exactly like Tanith._ Tanith stared as her doppelgänger knelt next to William, stroking his cheek. "What a beautiful boy," she murmured. "What is your name?"

"William," William whispered, terrified.

The vampire woman smiled and leaned in closer to him. "I'm Christina," she breathed in his ear, making him shudder. He whimpered as she slowly parted her lips against his throat before sinking her fangs into his flesh, making him cry out, struggling weakly for a moment before going limp in her arms, all the while pleading softly for her to stop, to let him go. Finally Christina drew back, smoothing William's hair out of his face as she smiled down at him. She pushed her hair off her neck and made a deep cut in her throat with her nail, lifting William's face to the wound. He tried to fight, but as soon as her blood touched his lips it was over. There was no way he could resist; no one can. Tanith couldn't keep from watching it all, watching him writhe in mortal death, watch the changes that overcame him as he lay in Christina's arms, watch her untie his wrists and guide him away with the rest of her "children".

"Tanith?"

"Ai!" Tanith jumped a foot in surprise, quickly dispelling the image with a wave of her hand over the glass before turning in the direction of the voice. "Oh, Brendon, it's you."

"Of course it's me; who else?" asked Brendon, sliding off the fold-out bed to the floor next to Tanith. His face was concerned. "Are you all right?"

"I think I should be asking that question," replied Tanith with a smile. "You look much better; how do you feel?"

"Perfect," Brendon said with a smile. "Never better. Really, I'm not being sarcastic. I feel great, thanks to you and your friends."

_"Our_ friends," Tanith corrected him. Brendon's smiled broadened and he kissed her cheek.

"All right, your turn," he said. "What were you doing before?"

"What's going on?" asked Pete sleepily as he came into the room with the rest of the band.

"Just scrying for some answers," Tanith said.

"Scrying? Like, crystal ball and tarot cards?" asked Joe skeptically.

Tanith laughed. "You're standing in a room with four vampires and a werewolf, in a town overrun with vampires, and you're iffy about divination?"

Pete laughed. "She's got a point."

"Oh please, don't pretend you've always believed in that voodoo stuff," snorted Joe. "But I get your point, I guess. I'm willing to believe in anything nowadays. So what were you looking for?"

"Answers," said Tanith shortly, in a tone that meant 'drop it and leave it alone'. "Just some things I needed to know." Then she sighed, her expression changing. "No, you guys deserve to hear the truth. I was looking to see what exactly happened to my parents five years ago."

Everyone was surprised, except Minuet, who had known Tanith the longest. "And what did you see?" she asked.

Tanith looked up at the group. "William told me the truth. He didn't kill my family." There was a very pregnant silence as Tanith gazed at the floor. She didn't want to tell them about seeing William being sired by the woman Christina. That was something she needed to keep for herself. The horrifying revelation of seeing William turned by a vampire with her own face was something she just couldn't tell her friends, not yet. Maybe not ever. Sighing she stood up. "I'm going for a walk and to grab breakfast; I'll be back in a while."

"Do you want us to come with?" asked Brendon, standing with her.

Tanith smiled sadly at him. "Thanks sweetheart, but I really need to be alone right now. Clear my head, y'know?" She kissed him tenderly and left the warehouse. She had a hunger burning in her that she knew animal blood wouldn't satisfy, so she fed from several humans, never taking enough to kill, until she was full. Restless and frustrated, she found herself walking down a road she hadn't walked in a long time. The road led to the house where she had once lived with William, back when she loved him. The house stood abandoned now, as the Dandies had since relocated, but she remembered her way around. She went inside, easily kicking in the old door, and made her way down to the basement. The ritual was still there, everything still in place to summon the demon. Kneeling in the dust, she picked up her parent's possessions, slipping her mother's ring on her finger and her father's handkerchief in her pocket. Blinking away tears, she stood up. She stared at the pentacle until she felt that someone was watching her.

"Tanith? I never thought I'd find you here."

Tanith sighed through her nose. "William," she said coolly. Turning to face him very slowly and deliberately, she said, in a cold tone, "We need to talk."


	10. Confrontation

**A/N:**** Half Jack – Actually, I **_**do**_** think I'm smart, especially when compared to some. Please stop reviewing my stories, as you have nothing to say that I am the least bit interested in. **

**I would appreciate people stop telling me to remove my story. Until and unless the established authority asks me to remove my story, it's not going anywhere and I am going to continue writing it. If all you have to say is that I'm a jackass and need to go jump off a cliff, please refrain.**

**Confrontation**

"How is Brendon?" William asked.

"He's fine, no thanks to you," Tanith answered acidly.

William sighed. "I didn't want to hurt him, Tanith. Brendon is probably the only one of my underlings that I actually like. But I do what is necessary, the same as you."

"Do not _ever_ compare yourself to me!" Tanith hissed. Glaring daggers at him, she growled, "I'm going to ask you some questions and I want them answered on the spot right now: Why didn't you kill me when you first met me? Why did you lead me to your lair to seduce and sire me?"

William blinked in surprise. "Because I wanted you. There was something special about you."

"Then why did you throw me aside as soon as you sired me?" Tanith demanded. "You made me believe I was the most important person in the world, that the Earth couldn't turn without me, and then you forgot all about me." William didn't answer. Tanith's eyes burned with hot tears. "I'm not Christina, William. Whatever she did to you, you had no right to take it out on me."

William's eyes went wide in shock. "How did you know about her?" he whispered.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you." Tanith glowered at him. "I know everything, Billy. I know how you were kidnapped, held at gunpoint, watched as the gang bangers who kidnapped you were torn to pieces by a group of adolescent vampires, how their leader, Christina, who they called 'Mother', turned you herself and took you away. I know it all. Did you have a grudge against her? Did you hate her for turning you like that, for making you one of her 'children'? Did you want her power?"

"Tanith, you still don't understand at all," said William. "You think you know, but you don't understand. I _loved_ Christina. She abandoned me. She abandoned all of us."

"I missed the part where that's my problem!" Tanith's eyes blazed as her last iota of patience evaporated. "If I had been any other girl, if I hadn't looked just like Christina, you would never have given me a second thought that night! You would have just killed me, left my body in the gutter, and forgotten about me in less than five minutes. You did this to me out of cruelty and spite!"

"Is this the part where you tell me to go to Hell?" asked William mildly.

"I don't frankly care _where_ you go, so long as you stay far away from me and mine," answered Tanith caustically. "But I want you to understand this: you could not possess Christina, and you did not, do not, will not, and _can_ not possess me. You signed your death warrant when you gave me your blood. I swear that I will end you, Billy. I will make sure you never hurt anyone ever again." She brushed past him and started to leave.

"Then why don't you do it now?" challenged William. Tanith stopped, sighed in agitation, and turned around.

"Because we're standing in a demon-summoning ritual space that has been cursed with immortal blood, you idiot," she snapped, as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. Turning on her heel, she strode away with fast, fierce strides. William could only stare after her, vaguely wondering exactly what had just happened.

* * *

Tanith started crying three blocks before she got back to the warehouse. She was sobbing by the time she got inside. Ignoring the startled looks from her friends, she collapsed face-down on the hideaway bed she and Brendon had slept on and buried her face in her arms, her whole frame shaking with her sobs. Brendon sat next to her and started rubbing her back, a worried expression on his face.

"Baby, what's wrong?" he asked. Tanith only sobbed in response. Brendon looked up at the others worriedly.

Minuet knelt next to Tanith in concern. "This is something to do with William, isn't it?" she asked gently. Tanith nodded, still crying. "Did he touch you?" Tanith shook her head. "You talked with him?" A nod. "You found out something?" Another nod. "Is it about Brendon?" A shake. "Is it about you?" A nod. Minuet squeezed Tanith's arm gently. "All right, you don't have to say anything now. Whatever's going on, we'll figure it out together. We'll all be here for you." Émile, in wolf form, came forward and nuzzled Tanith's forehead.

Tanith raised her head, her face streaked with blood from her tears, and looked at her friends. "He sired me because I look like his sire," she whispered, her voice cracking. "He never cared about me at all. He just wanted to take some vicarious revenge on Christina. I can't believe I thought he actually cared about me."

"All right, stop right there," said Minuet. Tanith looked up at her, confused. "He's not worth falling apart for, and I know you don't want to be _that_ girl. You're not like that."

"She's right," said Émile, who had reverted to human form. "If he didn't care about you, then you have no reason to care about him. Besides, you know who _really_ cares for you." He nodded at Brendon, who squeezed Tanith's shoulder gently. She reached up and squeezed his hand, a small smile tugging at her mouth.

"I guess you're right," she said softly. "I can't keep doing this." Closing her eyes, she breathed in deeply and sighed. When she opened her eyes again, they were hard. "No, you're right: I _don't _care about him. I want to kill him. I know that he didn't kill my family, but for what he's done to the people in this city…" Her voice trailed off as she looked up at Brendon and stood up slowly. She turned and looked at each person in the room. "It has to stop. We have to stop them all. We're the only ones who can."

Pete nodded. "We're the only idiots crazy enough to go up against them," he said with his crooked grin. Tanith smiled faintly.

"I just finished some new gadgets," said Patrick. "I've got a long-range taser rifle, two chain guns, a crossbow strong enough to fire wooden stakes, and a bunch of Super Soakers filled with a garlic and holy water mix I put through the blender." Joe laughed and Patrick flushed. "Well what have _you _done lately?" he shot.

"Andy and I whipped up some cherry bombs full of shrapnel, a stake bomb, and a couple Molotov cocktails," Joe answered smugly.

"All of which will run out eventually," Minuet pointed out with a smile. Tanith laughed.

"Well, do you guys need any weaponry?" asked Andy.

"I'm good," Émile said, his eyes flashing gold and his grin revealing his wolfen teeth.

"Same here," said Minuet holding up her sword-staff. "Tanith gave me this for my birthday last year."

"I've got my own, thanks," said Tanith, patting the magnum at her hip and reaching behind herself to caress her sword's hilt lovingly.

Brendon glanced at the trio before looking at Patrick. "Actually, I wouldn't mind a gun or something." Patrick smiled and handed him a taser rifle.

"All right, we all set?" asked Pete. Everyone nodded and Pete looked at Tanith. She looked back, recognizing the look in his eyes as one she had seen in her own before. It was the unwavering gaze of someone who would never stop fighting until the battle was won.

"This ends tonight," she said. "We take back the city tonight."

"Let's do it," said Pete resolutely. The troop left for the center of the city, knowing that's where the Dandies liked to cause trouble. Sure enough they were there, William at the lead. He smiled as the band approached.

"You stand against me, Brendon?" he inquired calmly.

"I do," answered Brendon, his eyes hard with anger. "You don't scare me anymore." William laughed.

"Laugh all the way to Hell," said Pete venomously. "You die tonight."

William smiled at him dangerously. "Have at thee," he sneered. All hell broke loose as the two groups attacked each other. Minuet decapitated two Dandies immediately with her sword-staff while Émile, howling as a wolf, ripped the throat out of another. Brendon and Patrick let loose with their rifles while Andy and Joe went to town with their homemade stake bombs. Pete and Tanith were only interested in destroying William. Double-teaming him seemed to be a good bet, but he vanished out of their reach before they could attack. Then another Dandy sideswiped Pete and knocked him to the ground. Tanith drew her sword to assist, but stopped when she felt that someone was watching her. She whirled around to face William, who stood behind her. They froze facing each other, Tanith pointing her sword at William's throat, William aiming a pistol at Tanith's heart.

"What do you think will travel faster, Tanith? Your sword or my bullets?" William challenged. "And I tell you now these bullets are frozen holy water and garlic. They will ensure a slow and agonizing death."

Tanith glared at William…then let her sword clatter to the ground, crestfallen and resigned. William blinked in surprise, though he still held his gun steady.

"Billy, I can't do this," she said heavily. "I hate you, but I can't kill you. I don't want to do this anymore." She spread her arms out slowly, looking William in the eye with the saddest expression. "So if this is what you want, then fire at will. I don't care anymore."

William's eyes widened and he lowered his gun quickly. "Tanith, I couldn't possibly kill you. I never wanted it to be this way, I swear. I only-" His words mutated into a guttural yell as the sharp point of a stake suddenly burst through his chest. Tanith shrieked in surprise as blood sprayed over her face, her eyes wide with shock. Thick syrupy blood dripped from the end of the stake as William stared in horror and rage. Pete stepped out from behind William with a smile of grim satisfaction on his face.

"It's over," he said flatly. "It's finally over. We win."

William grabbed for Pete, but he danced back quickly, walking to Tanith's side. "You lose, _Bill,"_ he said venomously. "This city is ours again. The humans'."

"Don't be a fool, boy," rasped William. "You are no human. You can't change what I made you!"

"No, I can't," replied Pete coolly. "But Tanith can."

"How do you think I got away from you?" said Tanith quietly. "I discovered a cure for vampirism. I used it on myself, and then Brendon sired me again. And I'm going to give it to Pete, like I promised. I never break a promise."

William stared at Tanith in shock. Tanith just gazed at him, genuine sadness in her eyes. "I didn't want it to be this way either. I couldn't kill you." Her eyes hardened as she added, "But I'm not going to save you either."


	11. Tryst and Trust

**Disclaimer:** I do not own _Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines_, I just like playing it and took their meaning for the term 'ghoul'.

**BTW Yellowfur, I never actually said William was dead now did I...?**

**Tryst and Trust**

Pete squeezed Tanith's shoulder. "I'll find the others. We'll meet you later." Tanith only nodded, still glaring down at William, and Pete walked away. William sank to the ground, his blood still pouring out of his chest, gasping in rattling breaths as he stared up at Tanith.

_'I'll never forgive what you've done,'_ she thought. _'For what you've done to me, to them, to everyone in this city, you'll burn in my hate forever.'_ But she couldn't bring herself to say these words. With one last glance, she turned and started walking away. Her steps slowed as William's breaths became weaker and harder to hear, until she finally stopped walking completely. "Oh, damn me," she groaned, rolling her eyes and turning back, hurrying to William's side and jerking the stake out of his heart. She pulled a syringe out of her jacket pocket and jabbed it into William's jugular, injecting him with the vampire cure she had created specifically for him when she found a strange locket with blood in it in William's room years before. The blood locket had been a gift from Christina, she discovered.

"What are you doing?" William rasped.

"Saving your sorry ass," Tanith grumbled. "And I don't know why, so shut up before I change my mind. This is gonna hurt. A lot." She ripped into her wrist and dripped the blood over the gaping wound in William's chest until it closed. Licking at her wrist, Tanith grabbed her cell phone from her belt and flipped it open to walkie-talkie mode. "Night Hawk calling Phoenix, come in Phoenix," she barked.

"Copy Night Hawk, this is Phoenix," came a new voice through the phone.

"Phoenix, I'm in Chicago and I have…I need an evac stat," she said hesitatingly. "Subject one-five-oh Beta has been apprehended and staked, but…"

"Night Hawk?"

"I've administered serum one-twenty-three. The change is underway."

The military tone coming through the phone changed drastically. "Tanith, you dumbass! What were you thinking?! Subject 150 Beta has been marked for extermination for two years, in case you had forgotten!"

"Shut up!" Tanith snapped. "I know what I'm doing, and there's nothing that can be changed now! So yell at me another time, but in the meantime do as you're told! Evac, Chicago, _now!"_

"You _know_ I have to report this to the Syndicate master!"

"I'll talk to Uncle later! Now, there's a boy dying in the streets here!"

"Fine, fine, evac is en route. Phoenix out."

Tanith was pretty sure her contact muttered, "You idiot," before the line went dead, but she didn't care. She glared at William, who was convulsing violently, blood starting to trickle out of his eyes, nose, ears, and mouth. He stared at her in shock and horror and she looked away pointedly, trying not to pity him.

"You did tell me one truth, I'll admit that," she said, not looking at him still. "You didn't kill my family. Whoever that kid was, he died that night; the demon killed him. You found the ritual and the body. So I guess I'm sorry for blaming you. Sort of." She looked at him and sighed. Evil or not, the humanitarian in her hated to see others in pain. "It has to be this way," she said quietly. "It won't last long, don't worry. The Syndicate will know what to do after that. It might feel like it, but you're not going to die. I guess I would feel badly if you did." She sighed. "Look, if you repeat this to anyone I'll deny it, but I…really did love you. I guess some small part of me still does, and that's why I couldn't just let you die like this. But you can't hear me anymore, can you?" she added thoughtfully. It was true: the pain was so intense that William had blacked out, lying prone in a pool of his own blood, still seizing and crying out in pain. He sounded like a little boy. Suddenly he looked so innocent, so helpless and frightened, a kid thrust into a world he didn't understand, and for the first time Tanith realized how very young he was. She sighed again, unable to keep from pitying him now. Slowly, tentatively, she reached out and touched his hair. She started playing with it, smiling as it slipped through her long pianist's fingers. "You would never let me play with your hair, never," she said softly. "I always wanted to, kept trying to, but you wouldn't let me. And you never said why either. Well, now I can play with it all I want. I swear you stole my shampoo when I was still there. Don't you know a _guy_ shouldn't have hair that smells like coconut and mango?" She laughed softly. "Well, whatever. Oh, the Syndicate's here." A black helicopter had just appeared in the moonlight above them, and she stood up and waved her arms to call its attention to her and William. Two rope ladders and a special stretcher were lowered down, the ladders occupied by two young men. Only a very well-trained eye could have detected that they were not entirely human. Tanith knew them well: Matt and Tony, two of her old friends, and 'ghouls' as well. By 'ghoul' the Syndicate meant a human who had drunk vampire blood. They had taken the meaning of the popular term from a computer game that many of the Syndicate kids enjoyed called _Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines._ You couldn't tell if you didn't already know, but the boys were teenaged only in countenance; in reality they were in their forties.

"It's great to see you two," said Tanith happily, hugging them each briefly. "I wish we had time for pleasantries, but William needs help now."

" 'William'? So we're on a first-name basis now?" demanded Tony in annoyance.

"Don't start with me _now,_ Tone!" Tanith snapped. "Yes, his name is William. I gave him serum 123 about ten minutes ago and the convulsions are ending. He needs transfusions, now. I don't care what anyone has to say about what I've done, and I'll take care of it all _another time."_ Her steel-colored eyes dared him to protest. He didn't. "Take care of him, and for God's sake don't let anyone kill him. I'll come back to headquarters in a few days; I have work to finish here. Uncle will have my report via e-mail at the earliest convenience." As she spoke she had helped Tony and Matt strap William securely into the stretched and now signaled for him to be raised into the chopper.

"T, are you sure about this?" asked Matt.

"Very sure, my carrot-topped _compadré,"_ answered Tanith with a weary grin. "He'll be human in a few hours if all goes well. If it doesn't, I'll be rather upset." She hugged him and Tony again. "I have to go, but it was good seeing you again. I'll be home someday soon, I promise." Even gruff Tony smiled at that. With a smile and a jaunty wave, Tanith set off for the warehouse.

She was whistling gaily when she arrived, the hunters all gathered around celebrating their victory with cold beer and warm laughter. Tanith laughed too when she came inside, drawing attention to herself. Minuet ran and hugged her tightly, Émile joining in. Tanith hugged them back and kissed Brendon when he came forward before smiling around at the rest of the group, her eyes finally coming to Pete's.

"You did it," she said. "You've finally brought it to an end. All of you," she added, scanning the rest of the band. "Congratulations."

"Hey, it's not like we did it alone," said Pete, standing up and smiling at her. "I don't know where we'd be now if you hadn't come. Thank you, Tanith. Thank you for everything." Grinning, he raised his beer bottle towards her and crowed, "To Tanith!"

"TANITH!" the rest of the group cheered, taking deep swigs from whatever they were drinking while Tanith laughed. Grabbing a nearby bottle of red wine, she raised it and shouted, "To freedom and friendship!"

"Here, here!" The group drank again, all of them laughing and cheering, talking all at once, hugging each other and celebrating. Tanith smiled as she took a drink of the wine, unable to keep from remembering when she would sip wine while she and William played chess late into the night. Setting down the bottle, Tanith went up to Pete.

"Y'know, I haven't quite given you _everything_ yet," she said meaningfully, looking directly into his chocolate-colored eyes. Pete looked back and set down his drink.

"I guess that's true," he said quietly. Tanith cocked her head slightly, knowing there was something he wasn't saying. Pete sighed. "It's just…what if it doesn't work? What if something goes wrong? I mean, I'm not saying it will, it's just…I just don't want to end up some psycho serial killer or something because I didn't change back all the way."

Tanith smiled gently. "In the Syndicate, Pete, we call my cure serum 123. That's because it took me a hundred and twenty-three tries to get it right. And I performed every test and experiment possible before I used it on myself, and then the Syndicate did even more when I brought it to them. There has never been a case where something goes wrong with this serum. And we'll all be here to make sure it doesn't. And whatever happens…if something _does_ go wrong, which is _highly_ unlikely, Brendon or Minuet or I…we can…well, if you want…" Her voice trailed off and she sighed. "We can make you a vampire again until we can isolate the problem and correct it."

Pete nodded thoughtfully, looking around at his friends with a sad look in his dark eyes. "I read a line in a book once that's been going through my head ever since William did this to me: 'Better to die among people you love than to outlive them all'. Maybe that's true, unless you can find an alternative." Taking in a deep breath and letting it out slowly, Pete said, "All right, let's do this. I'm ready now."


	12. Changeling Childe

**Changeling Childe**

"I warn you now, Pete, this is going to hurt. A lot," Tanith said heavily as she tied a tourniquet around Pete's arm and slid an IV into his veins. Émile, Brendon, and the other boys had already set up a heart monitor stolen from the local hospital. Pete's finger was encased in the plastic sheath that would monitor his white blood cell count. He wasn't wearing a shirt, only the little electrodes to monitor his heart and pulse.

"I don't care," Pete said resolutely. "If it means being human again, I'll do anything."

"Then I recommend you lie down," Tanith advised. "This isn't going to feel good. Could someone get me a large bucket?"

"What for?" asked Pete while Joe went to get one.

"Regurgitation," replied Tanith curtly. "This serum is going to break down your vampiric cells and separate them from the human blood you had remaining in your veins when you died. That broken-down blood is going to be flushed from your system through the nearest possible orifice." Pete grimaced. "That's why I mixed ipecac with the serum: it'll direct the majority of the blood through your digestive system. It's not going to be pleasant, but it won't last too long. Are you ready?"

"As I'll ever be," said Pete nervously. Tanith nodded and put the vial of her serum into the IV in Pete's arm.

"Godspeed, Pete," she said softly. Pete shuddered as the serum entered his veins and began to convulse, crying out in pain. His cries peaked into screams of agony. Tanith took his hand and held it tightly. "Pete, we're here. We're all here for you, all of us. We won't leave you alone in this. Don't be afraid." Pete groaned in pain, but he looked into Tanith's eyes and she saw that he understood. He already knew. She grabbed the bucket and held it to his mouth just before he started vomiting blood with a terrible choking violence.

"Here," said Patrick, taking the bucket. "You sit with him."

"Yeah, girls are better at the whole 'whisper comfortingly in the ear' thing," agreed Brendon. Tanith nodded and sat next to Pete, holding him up gently, smoothing his sweaty hair back out of his eyes, making soothing little sounds of encouragement.

"It's almost over…hang in there, Pete, it's almost over," she said softly. Pete gagged and retched loudly, but no more blood came up. Tanith rose and quickly attached the first blood pack to his IV. "Someone please get him some water and bring me a couple towels, some warm water, and a blanket." Joe and Andy started off to do as she said, but Brendon stopped them.

"No, I'll do it," he said. "You stay with Pete. He needs you now." Pete moaned unhappily, his head now in Tanith's lap. Brendon left to get what Tanith asked for.

"That's the worst of it," Tanith said. "You'll start to feel better soon, Pete. Try to sleep." Pete looked up at Tanith blearily, still trying to catch his breath. She smiled encouragingly. "Just try to sleep. You'll feel better soon."

"His temperature is way too low," Andy said nervously.

"He's lost about eighty-five percent of his blood; it's going to be low," replied Tanith. "That's what the transfusions are for. When his temperature reaches about ninety-six, he's got enough blood in his system." Brendon returned with the water and towels Tanith had asked for. She took the glass of cold water and held it to Pete's mouth to help him drink. He did, looking up at her gratefully. Tanith smiled gently and set the glass down when Pete's head fell back into her lap. He was shivering, covered with sweat but still too cold. Dipping a towel in the warm water Brendon had brought, Tanith gently sponged the sweat off Pete's face and chest, dried him off, and covered him with the blanket. Pete's shaking subsided a little, and he leaned his head against Tanith's stomach wearily. Tanith looked up at Brendon, hoping he would understand, and saw from his expression that he did. He wasn't jealous of this closeness. Tanith smiled and turned her attention back to Pete.

"I feel like hell," he groaned.

"I know," Tanith said sympathetically. "It'll pass in a while." She looked around at Pete's friends and smiled. "You're so lucky, Pete, to have so many people who love you here, people who'll stay with you through this." Pete looked up at her curiously. Brendon glanced at Pete, giving a small shrug. Brendon had been all Tanith had had when she was cured. Pete had not only Patrick, Andy, and Joe, but Tanith and her friends Émile, Minuet, and Brendon. He _was_ lucky, he realized. He wasn't so alone. He smiled up at Tanith and she smiled back, understanding.

"If we had known you then, we would have been there," he said softly, his voice hoarse. Tanith's smiled widened.

"Thank you, Pete," she said. Glancing up at the monitors, she said, "Try to close your eyes and relax. It'll be over before you know it, and you'll be human again. When you wake up, you'll be human again." Pete smiled tiredly and closed his eyes. Tanith smoothed his hair again, pushing it out of his face. Gazing down on him affectionately, she began to sing softly, a soothing Gaelic melody unfamiliar to Pete's friends. Pete fell deeply asleep as Tanith sang; the others sat and listened to her.

"Tanith was always a good singer," Émile whispered. "The vampire blood further enhanced her voice to an unearthly level of beauty. She could make a stone cry."

"Even William could never resist her voice," agreed Brendon, his voice low. Tanith kept singing, looking up to check Pete's monitors and the blood pack still draining into his arm. It was nearly empty, so she retrieved another from the cooler nearby and prepared to connect it to the IV. When the first pack was empty she discarded it and connected the new pack. Pete's temperature had already risen several degrees, but he still shivered a little under the blanket. At Tanith's whispered request, Patrick fetched another and laid it over Pete. He stilled after a moment. Tanith stroked his head like he was a little child, massaging between his shoulder blades with her free hand.

"She's like a mother, isn't she," Joe whispered. "She's so loving."

"Tanith's heart is full of love," replied Brendon quietly. "She's willing to give it to anyone who needs it."

"You all do realize that I can hear you, yes?" asked Tanith, glancing up with a smile. The boys shrugged sheepishly, and Tanith laughed softly. "It's all right; I don't mind as long as it's all good stuff." The group talked together very quietly for a while as Pete slept. They all began to doze off one by one until only Tanith and Patrick were still awake, keeping a weather eye on Pete's progress.

"There are scars on your neck," Tanith said after a while. "You've been bitten before."

"Hazards of the job," Patrick replied with a smile. Tanith chuckled, nodding in agreement. "You can't live in this city as long as we have without being bitten at least once. And you're right: you don't understand what it's like until it happens to you. And I know what you meant when you said it was addicting." Tanith nodded again sagely.

"It's even better when it's from someone who you think loves you," she said quietly. "I truly thought that William loved me. I wanted him to love me; I loved him. But at least I found Brendon. William could never have been what Brendon is to me." She smiled at Brendon's sleeping form curled up peacefully on the floor. "I know for certain that Brendon loves me, and I love him more than I ever did William. He's so much better for me."

Patrick nodded understandingly. "You can't go through life without getting your heart ripped out and handed to you at least once. It's unfortunate, but it's true."

Tanith made a sound of agreement in the back of her throat. She started to respond, but Pete shifted in her lap, drawing both her and Patrick's attention to him.

"No," Pete moaned unhappily, twisting in the throes of haunted dreams. "No, please…let me go, please…I don't want to…I don't…please…"

"It's OK, Petey," Tanith said gently. "You don't have to. No one will make you. It's OK. You're safe now. You're with your friends. We won't let anyone hurt you, I promise."

"Please don't let him…" croaked Pete, his eyes still shut tight.

"We won't," Tanith assured him soothingly. "He doesn't know where you are. He can't find you here. He can't hurt you." Pete calmed and quieted, lying still in Tanith's lap.

"Is he all right?" asked Patrick worriedly.

"Just a nightmare," Tanith replied. "It's a side effect. He was dreaming about the night that William sired him."

"How do you know?" asked Patrick in surprise.

"I could hear his dreams," answered Tanith matter-of-factly. She checked the monitors and gently pulled Pete's lips back to look at his teeth. They were blunt human teeth now, not monstrous fangs. Tanith smiled in satisfaction and let go, stroking Pete's cheek. "I meant what I said earlier. About how Pete's lucky to have friends like you. Émile and Minuet have always been my closest friends, but I didn't see them very often growing up. I never had many close friends since I was home-schooled. But I had my parents, and they were all I needed. God, I loved them so much…" Her voice trailed off as she gazed into the distance. Patrick remained respectfully silent. He knew what it was like to lose family members. His own family had run out of the city as soon as they could, leaving him behind. Pete's had abandoned him after William got to him. The only family the boys had left was each other. The difference was, though, that their families were still alive and well somewhere. Tanith's was gone forever.

"Tell me about them," offered Patrick, hoping it would help.

Tanith smiled at him. "I look a lot like my mom. Her chosen name was Tanith, which is why I chose it too. Her hair was wavy, and she wore it much shorter than I do, but I still get my hair from her. She had fair skin, freckles across her nose and high cheekbones, eyes as blue as the heart of a flame, and long, quick fingers. My dad, Erik, was very tall, which is where I get it from, tall and powerful as a redwood. I have his grey eyes and full mouth. His hair was black and long, for a guy. He wore it in a ponytail. He usually had a goatee too. He was very muscular and immensely strong. We worked out together a lot, and he helped train me. He was amazing with a sword – his was a katana. Mom was better with guns." She smiled into the distance. "I doubt they'd be entirely pleased at what I've become, but I still think they'd be proud of me."

"I'm sure," agreed Patrick. "Look at what you've done. You've created a serum that can make vampires human again, and you've helped save an entire city from vampire control. What's not to be proud of?"

Tanith laughed softly. "Thanks, 'Trick." Fingering her precious necklace, Tanith leaned her head back against the couch and fell asleep. Patrick followed suit, stretching out on the softest bit of floor he could find.

Pete's movements woke Tanith several hours later. Everyone else had already awakened and were having breakfast, but they came running when they heard Pete's groggy voice.

"Ehwunna seemuhself," he mumbled, blinking blearily.

"Say what?" asked Andy.

"I want to see myself," Pete repeated.

"Oh! Hold on a sec," said Patrick, leaving the room for a moment and returning with a small hand mirror. Pete took it, took a deep breath, and looked into the glass. He saw his own face for the first time in months. There was the old mischief, the impulsiveness, the familiar dark eyes and untamable brown hair. Slowly he smiled and his reflection smiled back, revealing his blunt, rounded teeth. Gone was the inhuman sheen to his skin, the bloodlust in his eyes, the fangs meant to tear open an unwitting victim's throat. It was only Pete there in the glass. Just Pete, normal, human Pete Wentz. For no reason at all, and yet for every reason, Pete started to laugh. He laughed and laughed, happier than he had been in so long. He grinned around at his friends and they all cheered for him as he stood up slowly, getting used to the feeling of his own body. He felt clumsy and awkward, but it was the best feeling in the world to him. Tanith smiled as she helped steady him, standing with him. Pete turned his grin to her and it mellowed into a happy smile. She gazed into his very human eyes, and realized that they were both thinking the same thing: there was one final test of his humanity.

"I want to see the sun."


	13. Prelude to Something New

**Prelude to Something New**

**Subject:** RE: Vampirism in Chicago report  
**Date:** Sat, 13 October 2007 24:00:37  
**From:** Syndicate Master Rurik  
**Reply-To:** Agent Night Hawk  
**To: **Agent Night Hawk

_In regards to the report you have issued, along with the reports of Agent Phoenix, I must express my concern for your course of action in this mission. By associating so closely with Subject 150 Beta you endangered not only yourself, but your friends and colleagues as well as the hunters you were assigned to protect. You allowed your emotions to cloud your judgment, and you are extremely fortunate that events did not take a worse turn than they did. I must impress upon you the seriousness of your actions during this mission, and insist that you rethink your methods for the future. Not only did you incite contact between yourself and Subject 150 Beta, whom you know better than any to be a serious threat, but you disobeyed direct orders that aforementioned Subject was to be eliminated. You and all those around you could easily have been killed or worse. _

_…Nevertheless, this mission has been deemed a success. _

_Subject 150 Beta – William Beckett – has been successfully reverted to humanity and is undergoing rehabilitation. While he is kept under constant surveillance, he is making excellent progress and we are hopeful that he will be fit for release very soon. Vampire activity has decreased by more than 40 in your area, and is continuing to do so. In addition, your report stated that one Pete Wentz was successfully treated with serum 123 and has reverted to his former human state. The Syndicate is greatly pleased with your results, although your methods need to be refined. Excellent work, Agent Night Hawk. We look forward to your next maneuver. _

_…I truly am very proud of you, Tanith. I may be hard on you, but it's only because I love you. I know that I forget that you are more resilient than I truly understand, but it's hard not to worry. I promised your mother and father that I would take care of you if something should happen to them. That's all I'm trying to do. I'm so proud of you…_**Emeline.**_ Take care of yourself, all right?_

_With Love--  
Syndicate Master Rurik Venator  
(Uncle Rurik)_

Tanith smiled as she read the e-mail her uncle had sent. She had expected him to be upset with her actions, but it was reassuring to know that in spite of that he was still proud of her. He even called her 'Emeline' again – Syndicate etiquette dictated that only family members refer to another by their born name, and then it was a sign of great affection. She glanced over her shoulder at Brendon, who was dozing on the ornate bed behind her, and smiled at him. It was three weeks since she had cured Pete, and things had changed drastically in the city. The band, including Tanith, Brendon, Émile, and Minuet, had cleared out a large percentage of the city's unwanted undead. The Dandies had disbanded for the most part, though a few stuck around with Tanith and Brendon. Those vampires that wouldn't be peaceful were either eliminated or driven out of the city. The hunters had moved into the mansion where the Dandies had resided, establishing it as their base of operations. Émile and Minuet returned to the Syndicate headquarters. The fear in the human inhabitants of the city was slowly but surely dissipating. No longer was everyone running scared in the streets, locking their homes at night and carrying crosses and garlic wherever they went; no longer were people found dead in the gutter on a regular basis. A sense of normalcy that the city hadn't known in years was returning. Those who had fled the city were starting to return. Andy, Joe, Patrick, and Pete had all been reunited with their families, all of whom were overjoyed that their sons were still alive and unhurt. Pete's parents were shocked that he was no longer a vampire, but they didn't bother asking questions. All that mattered was that they were all together again.

"This city belongs to us now," Tanith had told them. "We have to take care of it, put everything back in order again. For those vampires who want to stay, they will abide by our laws. Together we can save this city."

"Vampires and humans coexisted before," Pete had said. "We can again. It'll be different now that people know that vampires are real, but we'll still make it work. We can enforce the laws we make. We have the strength now."

Pete was right, as it turned out. Many Dandies had witnessed Pete stake William, and had spread the story around the city. Consequently the remaining vampires had decided to play nice. If Pete had been strong enough to defeat his sire, the most powerful vampire in the city, on his own, then he and his friends together were more than a force to be reckoned with. The hunters systematically met with the leaders of the vampire sects and discussed terms for living in the city. Those who reneged were dealt with immediately. But there were those who wanted to be human again, like Pete. Tanith and Émile provided for them, setting up a program for these individuals. Tanith was able to make three more doses of her antidote from the venom Émile had given her for Pete's cure, and those that had to wait for the next month were allowed to live in the mansion and were given the blood substitute that Patrick had created. It was a weird way of life, but it was a good one.

Tanith smiled and sighed as she thought about how far they had come in such a short time. She had accomplished everything she set out to do. So now what was left? Just to care of the city, like she promised? Or was there something more? She looked back at Brendon again, her smile fading. She couldn't stop thinking about what happened to William after she sent him to the Syndicate that night. She wanted to talk to him again, she how he had changed, if at all. Was he still the evil dictator he was as a vampire, or had he become the carefree, happy boy she had seen in the scrying mirror? Could he ever reclaim the innocence that was stolen from him the night he was sired, or did he even want to? Was he just acting for the Syndicate? Would he search for a vampire to sire him again when he was released? Tanith shook her head to clear it. No, she didn't believe that. She had seen the look in William's eyes when she had given him her cure. He may not have known what it was, but she knew in her heart that he would change.

"Hey, are you coming?" came Pete's voice from the doorway. "We're all going out for pizza. We'll order garlic-free," he added with a cheeky grin, which had been presenting itself more and more since he was cured.

Tanith laughed. "Yeah, lemme just finish up with my e-mails and I'll wake up Brendon and we'll join you in a few," she replied.

"All right, see ya in a few," agreed Pete, grinning still as he left. Tanith smiled after him before turning back to her computer. Moving the wireless mouse over her _Phantom of the Opera_ mouse pad, she clicked on **New** to open a blank e-mail. Still smiling, she began to type:

_Dear William…_

**-THE END-**


End file.
